Addiction
by Low Candela
Summary: Slumped in a steep depression, Finn finds a coping mechanism in a close friend of his; even if he isn't fully aware of the situation... Fair warning, rated M for a significant reason
1. Chapter 1

**Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I've returned with another sordid little story of mine that doubtless falls outside the general norm. I'll be honest, this began as a small idea I just wanted to get out of my head in a simple one-shot type deal, and just sort of got extremely out of hand. Be forewarned, this story is FAR more graphically inclined than my previous work. Really, that was the whole intention of this tale. So if you are the sort to be easily offended by explicit scenarios, there's little for you to find here. For the rest, I do sincerely hope you enjoy my deplorable machinations. Now then, on with the story.**

* * *

Far away in the Grasslands of Ooo, the last stubborn rays of sunlight were being slowly withdrawn across the windswept fields, impeded only by the lone, yet massive tree situated in the center of the near barrens. But though the sun may have been receding from its' diurnal duties, the night was young and had yet to come in to its' full right. The cessation of daylight did not bring to an end the activities of the lands' inhabitants, many of whom truly had yet to begin to enjoy their waking agenda.

Within the iconic Treefort, a familiar yellow bulldog cast a final wary, concerned glance over to his young companion. He scanned the young man sitting on the old couch at the back of the room. He was slumped lazily against the piece, sitting so far his back pressed against the bottom seat cushion. He held in his hands a small controller whose wire ran up and into a small computer-like device set on the table in front of the couch, its' screen casting a flickering green light on the man's face. His visage betrayed an intense boredom plaguing him, assuming, of course, that he was in the best possible mood. The small dog himself stood at the edge of a ladder that would take him to the building's entrance floor.

"Okay Finn, I'm uh, going over to Lady's now." The dog said from across the room.

"Alright." The lad replied in an uninterested tone.

"You know I'll be gone until late tomorrow, so uh, if you need anything, now's the time to ask." Said the animal.

"Nope." Finn answered, equally as monotone as before.

"Kay then. Bye, I guess." The dog said, disappointed he had been unable to elicit a better response from the boy.

"Later Jake." Finn said, not even bothering to tear his gaze away from the video game that was currently making a fool of him.

Jake let out a somewhat sad sigh as he descended the ladder. He had grown rather concerned for his poor little brother as of late. Finn had seemed inexplicably depressed in the last few weeks. Though it was not exactly debilitating, or even really bad, it was clear that Finn had little interest in just… anything. His adventuring had slowed measurably and didn't seem to give him the rush it normally did. It was almost like he was committed to making himself bored, if not miserable. The worst part for Jake was that he had absolutely no clue as to what brought on this melancholy.

Jake had done his best to try and help Finn escape from this sudden funk. As he made his way through the twilight he contemplated on the failed attempts he'd made to cheer Finn up. _'I just don't get it. I've done everything I can think of for Finn. I've taken him to the most exciting and dangerous places in Ooo, let him fight some of the most dangerous creatures known in existence, helped him see some of the most astounding things mere mortals could ever hope to gaze upon! Hell, I even get him to go on a date with slime princess… Although, in retrospect, I should've have seen that causing more damage than help.' _

As he crested a small hill, the form of his long-time girlfriend's home came into view. His face brightened and his tail started to wag as thoughts of his beloved Lady Rainicorn started to fill his head. _'Well… Finn's a tough kid. He can take me not worrying about him for a little while.'_

* * *

Back in the Treefort, Finn watched through glazed eyes as his character on the screen died for the umpteenth time that night. With an annoyed sigh he set aside the controller.

"BMO, load up something else while I go grab a drink." He spoke, seemingly to himself. Oddly enough, though, as he began to rise the screen of the small computer changed to display a cute digital face.

"Sure thing Finn." The odd device replied to his organic roommate. Although the machine generally tended to act on the bright side of matters, its' voice betrayed a small bit of concern, sharing their absent cohort's concerns for the young man.

* * *

Just beyond the walls of the fort, and very different and very uninvited figure found herself levitating high above the confines of the ground, peering in through the window to spy upon the naïve human who dwelt within.

_'Well, well, well… what have we here? Poor little Finn all alone?' _The wicked woman thought as she followed the movement of the fort's ignorant denizen. As he left the room, the daring voyeur circled the air around the house in an attempt to relocate her target. She found him again as he made his way into the kitchen. Following his every movement, she watched as he retrieved a can of cola from the refrigerator. Setting it on the counter, Finn shuffled a bit to grab a glass from a high cabinet. Vessel in hand, he moved to the fridge again, opening the freezer and retrieving a handful of ice which was deftly deposited into the glass. He moved back to the counter, setting the glass down, but before he could pour his beverage something drew his attention, forcing his head to crane over to the side.

He seemed to shout something back towards the previous room, but from the girl's hiding spot she could not hear inside the house. Finn looked to give an annoyed sigh before setting aside the glass and heading towards the evident source of disturbance. As Finn left the room, a devilish grin found its' way across the face of his unknown visitor. This was precisely the sort of situation she'd been hoping for. Moving her small hands to the window, she pressed her digits against the glass and lifted, finding it had not been locked. Raising the impromptu entrance to fully open, she slipped into the massive oak. Perhaps others in the business of breaking and entering would feel at least a little uneasy in the knowledge that they were trespassing, but the girl felt absolutely no discomfort in her current situation. It was far from the first time she'd found herself in here, even when the building was otherwise occupied.

Leisurely floating over to the boy's forgotten glass, the woman's nimble fingers quickly opened the can of off-brand cola. The carbonated liquid that was contained within fizzled violently, a small amount of foam breaching the hole, but not a large enough quantity to spill over the can's ridges. She poured the drink into the glass, slowly so as to assure it did not overflow. Once the fizz had settled, the brown liquid filled over two thirds of the glass. Setting the now half-full can aside, the intruder reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a relatively large disk-shaped black pill. Eyeing it closely, the girl felt herself growing giddy at the thought of what this simple, small object would make of her night.

_'This is gonna be a fun evening.'_ She thought. Her eyes quickly snapped away towards the room's exit as she heard a muffled voice followed by footsteps approaching her location. Knowing Finn was fast approaching, the woman enclosed the pill in a tight fist, crushing the medicine to a fine powder. Opening her hand, she let the fine granules slip into the waiting drink. A quick lift and swirl of the fluid ensured the powder dissolved completely, now totally unrecognizable to any who were unaware of the foreign substance. Her ploy set, the woman was out of the house as quickly as she had entered. As she closed the window, the only trace that she had been there at all was now the open can and full glass. She made it back to her previous peeking spot just in time to see the young man reenter the kitchen.

* * *

"... just a bat-rat BMO! We get them all the time!" Finn shouted back up to the living room as he came back to his interrupted business. He blew an annoyed huff at having to deal with such a petty matter, thinking his friend to be a total coward. _'Honestly. Those things aren't even as big as my socks. And they're about as threatening.'_ Having thought that, then, he did feel a slight remorse and mentally reprimanded himself. _'Though I guess to BMO that'd be like the size of a fire wolf. I should really try to go easier on him.'_ With his mildly sour mood now regressing to his previous mildly somber mood, he shook off the small disturbance and looked back to the kitchen, just wanting to get his drink already.

Coming up to the counter, Finn was surprised to find the glass already filled with his chosen bubbling liquid. _'Wait' _he though, confused. _'Did I already pour this? I could've sworn… Oh well. Must've just forgot.' _Finn didn't care enough to press the question any further. In any case, he hadn't always fully trusted his memory. These sorts of things tended to happen from time to time, and this event seemed benign enough that he believed he could have easily forgotten doing the deed himself. Shrugging to himself, he grabbed the glass as well as the can, turning around to head back to the other room.

He failed to notice the shadows moving outside the windows as he made his way back to the couch. Sitting down, he set the can aside on the table. He took a sip of the overtly sweet liquid in his glass before setting that down on the edge of the table. Picking up the controller, Finn moved his eyes to the computer screen before him, now displaying the main menu to a new game. Pressing start, he began to mindlessly lose himself in the game world once more.

Around ten minutes into his new session, he quietly offered to the small computer before him, "Sorry about earlier, BMO," speaking quick and lowly.

"It's okay Finn. It was kind of silly of me." The machine responded.

Another half-hour passed with no further interaction between the two. Finn did not mind in the slightest, preferring the down time to any sort of extended conversation. BMO, however, was still sensing an amount of gloom within the kid. It didn't enjoy seeing Finn this way any more than Jake did, and had about as good an idea on his behavior as the dog. Seeing as how Jake would be away for some time, BMO felt no choice but to take it upon itself to try and help Finn. Anything would be better than just watching Finn laze around and rot.

"You know Finn… Jake's been sort of concerned about you lately. So have I." The bot spoke in a concerned tone, yet even though speaking continued to display Finn's game on the screen.

Finn offered a raised eyebrow, but no other facial indications. "I don't know why. Nothing's going on." He replied, voice giving no hint as to his feelings.

"It's just… You seem kind of down lately." BMO explained.

"I really don't know what to tell you. There's nothing that you two should be worrying about me." Finn replied, keeping his voice almost painfully dull.

"Come on, Finn. You know if there's anything wrong you can tell me and Jake, right? We care about you." BMO said, all but pleading with Finn to say something with some actual substance.

Finn sighed and paused the game. He set the controller on the couch beside him and reached over to pick up the glass. Three-quarters of the drink still remained and he downed it all in a single gulp. Setting the glass back down, he was about to pour himself the rest from the can, but stopped when he felt a slight… tug at his mind. Bringing his hand back, he just let himself slump against the back of the couch.

Noting Finn had seemingly given up on the game, BMO closed the program, returning the screen to its' own face, an expression of concern evident upon it.

"I'm sorry if it seems that way, but I really don't know what to tell you guys." Finn noted that he suddenly felt extremely sluggish all of the sudden, tired, like he was ready to pass into slumber at any moment.

"It's not the first time you've looked like this. Ever since… well… the whole thing with Flame Princess…" BMO started but trailed off, slightly reluctant to start dredging up old memories like these. Nonetheless, he continued.

"…Well, after that you just seemed crushed. And ever since then, it just… sort of seems like you haven't totally gotten over it." BMO cautioned voicing its' own theory.

Finn thought back to over two years prior, when he'd ended the last relationship he'd had. He certainly couldn't deny that he'd felt devastated at the time. He'd really thought Flame Princess would be the one he would love his whole life, but the two just couldn't find a way to make it work. Lost in memory, he barely noticed his eyelids slowly closing, just finding the time to snap himself back into awareness. But try as he might, Finn couldn't keep his focus any longer, not on the Flame Princess, not on BMO, not on anything. He felt his thoughts slow to a crawl. The room began to sway almost imperceptibly.

"Finn? Are you okay?" BMO asked, noting Finn had suddenly began to look very tired, almost unbalanced.

"Huh… oh, no yeah." Finn mumbled out. He squinted his eyes to make BMO as clear as possible, noting a look of confusion had shifted the focus of the computer's concern for him.

"You look kind of sick. Are you feeling bad?" BMO asked as Finn's whole body began to lean to and fro.

"I'm… just really tired… I think I need to go to bed." Finn answered. It took nearly all his focus and strength to bring himself up and off the couch, stumbling a bit but quickly regaining a bit of his balance, enough at least to carry him to the appropriate ladder. As he started to ascend towards his bedroom he just barely heard BMO call after him.

"Okay, well, call down if you need me. Maybe we can talk more about this tomorrow?" The robot said to him.

That was certainly not encouraging for the electronic roommate. It hadn't made any headway with Finn's mood, he just seemed dead set on keeping others out of his heart. Add to that Finn's sudden onset of drowsiness and possibly dizziness and the little computer didn't feel quite right leaving Finn alone for the night. It pondered going upstairs to watch over Finn in the absence of his brother when an annoying beeping drew away its' attention. The alarm had sounded to alert BMO that its' battery was quite low. That presented an all new problem, as now it would have to totally shut itself off the whole night in order to recharge. As it moved to the outlet to plug itself in, it just hoped that Finn would be okay on his own for just one night.

* * *

Finn just managed to bring his body up to the level of the bedroom he would normally share with his canine brother. With his last ounce of strength, he dragged himself over to his bed. His body felt impossibly heavy, or maybe his mind was just so slow it couldn't correctly account for his mass. Either way, he just made it to the edge before he let himself collapse on his side, into the piles of soft animal furs that made up his bedding. No gradual drift into slumber was needed as his mind immediately let go of reality as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

A few short minutes was all the woman was willing to wait before once more letting herself into Finn's home. She drifted through the confusing multitude of rooms and levels that made up the interior, feeling secure in the sheer sense of quiet that pervaded throughout the tree. She floated close to where BMO had situated itself at the wall. Its' screen was totally black. She nudged the small thing with her foot, making sure it was totally out of it. When she elicited no response, she felt confident that no one would be… interrupting her tonight.

Being (perhaps a little too) familiar with the home of her young friends, she knew exactly where she was headed. She ascended the floors of the fort, her powers nullifying the need to use ladders, eventually settling herself upon the loft that Finn had made his bedroom. Walking up to the occupied bed, the girl simply stood, watching over the small form that lay there, totally unaware of the wider world.

The woman let her feet leave the ground, hovering over the unconscious Finn. She nearly drooled over him as she took in the boy's form. Finn had grown impressively since the time she'd first met him, a fact she'd only recently (relatively) found herself aware of. It was almost surreal having watched him grow from a goofy little kid to an object of actual desire. She recalled how he used to barely come above her waistline; now floating prone above him, she guessed he'd easily matched her height, maybe even exceeded her by a slight amount. She reached her hand out to feel up his bicep. His limbs had once been so wiry that she could liken them to noodles; now he had real, visible muscles truly befitting a hero of his caliber.

When he did not react to her touch, she risked a rougher handling of him. Pushing on his upright shoulder, she managed to flip him so he lay totally on his back, his face staring up into her own. She ran a gentle hand over his cheek. She'd always thought Finn had been a cute kid; now, though, she found him to be truly handsome. A funny thought occurred to her as she ran her hand over his smooth jawline. _'How ironic. All the growing he's done these years and yet not even an ounce of stubble. Oh well.' _

She only stopped her hand once it touched the edge of fabric, more specifically the bear hat that had become something of an icon of his. Though not the exact same one he'd worn as a child, he had always kept some form of hat that she'd always found… _'Adorable.'_ With that thought, she gripped the hat and tore it off, casting it aside with no more respect than for a common rag. She now had an unimpeded view of the treasure that lay under his hood. Her hands moved up to run fingers through his unbelievably soft locks. His hair seemed darker than she recalled, a much more brownish gold than the brilliant luster it had once held. She also noted it was cut far shorter than she had expected. Still retaining some slight length, he wore it shaggy, but it would not even come quite to the bottom of his neck.

Taking his whole being into her mind, she finally shifted her thoughts to the more pressing matter at hand, indeed the real reason why she was here. She let gravity draw her body back down to Earth, down to Finn. She draped her much softer form over his body, toe to toe, chests compressed, staring him directly in his still peaceful face. The girl felt a tickle in her mind. _'I'm really about to go through with this!' _A tingle went down her spin and she pressed her body as closely to Finn as she could. No longer willing to contain herself, she let her lips drift down to encompass Finn's own.

* * *

Finn felt as though his mind was adrift in a sea of ether. He seemed totally devoid of feelings and thoughts, which was at once both liberating and terrifying. He still seemed mostly incapable of awareness, not even able to tell if he was awake or sleeping. But even in his impaired state, he was still able to tell that some manner of subtle change had just occurred. Something new, a vague sense of… presence had interrupted his reverie. In a gradual shift that seemed to take an eternity to him, Finn managed to slip ever so slightly from the bonds of unconsciousness.

It did not come as an immediate or even apparent change to him. One could hardly even make the argument that he had even actually "awoken" in the classic sense. What he was able to comprehend was the shift in his state of being. To him it had seemed like his head had been a total void. Now there was certainly something filling the space, only that something was little more than a complete fog.

* * *

Pulling back just an inch, the woman took notice of Finn's twisting facial expression. She smirked in the knowledge that the "medicine" was working its' intended magic on him. The drug had not been intended to just knock the boy out cold; that would've have been the last thing she wanted. If she had to define, she supposed the best she could do would be to classify it as a hypnotic. It would put the recipient into an extremely vulnerable state. They'd be able to function, but their mind would be all but closed off. In essence, the victim would be zombified.

The girl sat back up as Finn's eyes half-opened, but she could tell by his gaze that his mind was a blank. His real conscious was still trapped in a dream-state, but his body was up and open to suggestion. As a test, the girl decided to try issuing a simple demand.

"Sit up." She whispered down to him.

Finn made as though to try and right himself, bringing his head off the mattress, but it seemed in his addled state his body would not be completely responsive. Taking note of this, the woman leaned down, encircling her arms around his neck and lightly pressing his face to her breasts. She felt his warm, humid breath against her exposed skin, even that being enough to spark up her mind. She lightly shuttered before leaning back, pulling Finn to sit up as well. With the assistance, his body was able to adjust and he held out his arms back to hold himself up.

Satisfied with the test spin, the girl let a smile start to creep at her mouth. She leaned in to steal another kiss from Finn, totally relishing in the fact that he couldn't do anything to dissuade or oppose her. Once she parted, she took a long, hard look into his eyes. Empty. Thoughtless. Vacant. Just the traits she'd been hoping for. Assured that the drug had a full effect on the young man, the woman allowed herself to float back and away from the husk she'd been clinging to.

* * *

What Finn had been experiencing in his mind could likely be called surreal, at best anyway. While not perhaps strictly pleasant, the event could not be considered torturous. His senses all but failed him. Sight had lost all meaning to Finn as his mind's eye was clouded in a pervasive gray haze. Sound was hardly any better, all quiet save for the few, distant muffles that may well have been hallucinations. Smell faired less than as well. No obvious scent gave Finn the relief of a real sense, but maybe, just maybe he could tell that something was there, like a pheromone that acted subconsciously to twist a man's mind in perhaps the most subtle of fashions. The best thing Finn had to cling to in his haze was that sensation of presence. Not his own, no. It was something more… invasive. Almost like another person had been lain out beside him, it was a weight, something just shy of tangible, something he could really almost tell was there. And then, like a cruel punishment, the weight left him.

* * *

The girl felt her feet touch the floor, standing just before the bed. She looked up to her absentee partner, sitting almost eerily still, watching her through glazed, unblinking eyes. She felt a warmth rising in her chest, a sensation that had been slowly, ever so slowly building up in her since she first arrived here tonight. It was excitement, a sense of almost agonizing anticipation that had been steadily building like air in a balloon; and she was damn near about to pop. Savoring the lingering doubt in her mind that almost added to the total pleasure she got from what she was going to do, she girl prepared herself to escalate things even further.

Grabbing the hem of her top, she deftly lifted and pulled the fabric over her head, letting it drop softly to the floor. Her torso fully exposed to Finn, she couldn't help but giggle at how ludicrous a gesture it would've seemed to her only a few short years ago. Twirling gracefully, she faced away from her captive audience as her hands went to unbutton her jeans. She wiggled her girly hips enticingly to drop the articles from her gorgeous body. She felt ever so delectably naughty, providing such a show for her young friend, regardless of the fact that nothing she did could even strike his mind.

She spun back around, shamelessly presenting her whole bare self to Finn. She was almost disappointed to find he'd not even flinched the whole while she'd been performing her little peep show before reminding herself that she'd put Finn into a chemical daze. The girl let herself drift back up to Finn, staring lustfully into his face. Oddly enough, she caught just a fraction of movement in his eye, not of the actual organ, but something that seemed to take place just behind the glaze on his retinae.

* * *

Everything looked like blobs and shades of gray to Finn. No notable shapes or colors had been distinguishable from the amorphous mass that clouded his mind. He couldn't even be sure that this was what he had seen or just what his mind had conjured to represent his feelings, or lack thereof. But eventually, the sea of confusion began to take on some semblance of order. The gray lightened while the shapes all converged into a single mass. He almost wanted to think of it as someone else, someone just… floating, just out of reach.

* * *

The woman eyed her subject, tracing her gaze up and down his body, like inspecting a machine to ensure it was suitable for the job. She realized he was still wearing his clothing, once more having to remind herself he was pretty much incapable of doing anything about that himself. _'Hardly seems fair for me to do all the work given the show he just got.'_ In any case, she moved her hands down to Finn's own shirt, grasping at the ridge and tugging up. Realizing she wouldn't get far with the position he was in, she asked the mindless dummy…

"A Little help?"

Showing enough presence of thought to understand her implied meaning, Finn's body leaned forward and brought his arms up loosely over his head. With his help, the girl was able to bring the shirt off and remove it completely from his torso. She looked down at the hard sculpted body, lithe but surprisingly powerful. A real product of the hardships faced by the hero in his daily life. And now, for at least a little while, it belonged to her.

She licked her lips hungrily, revealing the menacing set of teeth she kept hidden inside her mouth. They would not have been considered normal for an organism of her stature; they were far too… predatory. A glint caught on her sharpened canine from what light of the moon was able to penetrate into the room. She sat herself fully on Finn's lap, pressing her naked bosom into Finn's stiff chest. Skin to skin contact, an entirely different sort of spark that lit up the pleasure center in her brain. She wanted to bring herself closer, bring as much intimacy between her and the boy as possible. Instinctively, her head moved to his shoulder. She inhaled his natural scent deeply, opening her mouth and craning her head around his neck, letting the very tips of her fangs just graze into his skin. She stopped herself just shy of biting fully into him, pulling back with a short laugh.

"In a little bit. First thing's first, after all." She whispered, more for herself than for Finn.

* * *

The other presence was back, closer to Finn than ever before. It was barely anything, but even the slightest thing was infinitely greater than the oppressive void that otherwise encompassed his mind. It wasn't much but it was there; weight, pressure, warmth. And then something else came to accompany it. Like a soft vibration, the barest trace of a whisper resonated briefly around the void in his head.

* * *

The woman let her hands fall to Finn's hips, holding them there for only a second before letting them trail up his sides. She kissed at his jaw, his throat as she felt around his skin, just letting his surprising warmth seep into her. _'He's hotter than he should be. Maybe the pill gave him a slight fever.' _But that was nothing to be concerned about, and certainly nothing she could pay any attention to at this moment.

"Lay back." She whispered, pushing lightly on Finn's chest to encourage him. His upper body slumped back against the bed, lying flat once more, however his eyes somehow remained trained on the girl. She herself crawled back a bit from his lower body, coming to rest on his shins. Her small hands finally made it to the band of his shorts. It was evident she was beginning to grow impatient. Her movements that had been so measured and smooth were beginning to grow shaky, too forceful. In the heat of the moment she was beginning to lose a bit of her nerve. But her anxiety was almost totally eclipsed by her anticipation and lust.

She tried to move slow, savor the moment, but only wound up jerking harshly at his clothes. Finn offered no resistance, but did not attempt to assist either. She did manage, however ungracefully, to work his shorts and boxers down, just pulling them to stop at mid-thigh. Staring down at him, the woman was slightly indignant to find his arousal not totally evident. _'I guess I shouldn't have expected seduction to work on a zombie. Guess I'll just have to get a little more physical.' _Gaining an annoyed frown, the woman leaned back up over Finn's body, almost as though she were scolding the boy. Finn, of course, was unable to react to her look of disapproval.

"Looks like I'll have to do all the work, huh?" She asked, sarcastically.

Finn offered no response. Almost immediately, though, the girl regained a wickedly sultry smile.

"That's okay. I don't mind, really. After all, it's all for me in the end." She spoke softly, as though she had to entice him.

Even though it was clear nothing of the sort would make a difference to the sedated boy, it was simply more a product of the woman's irresponsibly playful nature. Laying her body back over Finn's, she brought her face back down to his own, kissing him much more deeply this time. She forced her tongue harshly into his mouth, it's more serpentine attribute made abundantly clear as it dominated Finn's own, wrapping around to manipulate it however she saw fit. As she worked passionately at his mouth, her left hand snuck its' way back down her friends body where it quickly found its' prize.

Her soft fingers wrapped around him, stroking, encouraging it to rise to its' full potential. Even with his mind occupied, Finn's body was hardwired to respond independently to this sort of stimulus. With the girl's tongue pouring warmth into his core and her hand directing blood flow to a specific locale, it did not take long for his body to become ready to perform its' most primal responsibility. The woman pulled her head back up, letting her tongue slowly scrape along any surface it could as it made its' retreat back into her own mouth. She glanced back down his body, adding visual stimulus to the already almost overwhelming feeling between her fingers. She groaned softly, biting her lower lip, eager to move things along and finally get what she came here for.

"I really hope you're ready for this, Finny. Cause after tonight, everything's gonna change for you." She spoke, just barely managing to keep her voice from cracking.

Sitting up totally, she lifted herself up, hovering over Finn, a knee placed at either side of his hip. Her hand disappeared to find him again, directing him towards her opening. When she felt his tip just touch the outside of her lips she halted, a tiny spark of electricity hanging on her mind, threatening at any moment to bubble up and surge throughout her body. She lingered for just a second, intent on drawing out every second of pleasure she could.

Finally, she took the plunge, let Finn's member dig deeply into her, reaching towards her core. She didn't even attempt to muffle the intense moan that accompanied such an immediate intrusion. Bottoming out, she just sat for a moment, twitching in bliss, letting her body grow accustomed to her less than willing partner. She took a minute to catch her breath, the whole while her sensation of him within her growing fainter.

Eventually, she began to draw herself back up, feeling Finn slide down her channel. When all but his tip had been removed, she dragged her body back down, encompassing Finn's length within her again. She whimpered in pleasure as he began to fill her once more. She started to slowly repeat these motions, sliding up and down the length of his shaft, going as slow as she could manage to savor her moment. Finn had no control of the situation, no choice but to lay resigned, allowing the woman to have her way with him. Occasionally, his muscles would contract of their own accord, his hips shuttering and jerking, lending more friction to the ecstatic woman atop him.

* * *

Finn found he was quickly losing the capability of making any semblance of sense. For brief moments, he felt as though somehow the haze was lessening. Certainly not by much, perhaps only as effective at releasing him as peeling away the skin of an onion, but he was sure things were becoming clearer, even by just a miniscule amount. Or maybe he just wanted to believe that because thinking he would be trapped in the haze would be infinitely more frightening.

At the same time, the other presence was growing more… immediate. He didn't know how to describe it. It was closer, but not in the same way as before. Now the presence seemed almost oppressive. It was growing warmer, more forceful, like it was trying to force its' way into him, become a part of him.

The gray mass was slowly changing as well. Its' edges were becoming smoother, sharper. The shape was becoming more defined. He was sure it had to be a person, now. Though he still had no way of knowing if anyone was really there or if these were all just products of his own mind.

* * *

The girl was steadily picking up speed, bouncing more fervently in Finn's lap. Her breaths were coming quicker, becoming more labored. Arching her back, she propped herself up on one hand, held against Finn's chest. Her other moved up to her breast, cupping as much as she could and kneading roughly. The more she moved, the more desperate she became for closer contact, more friction. The one drawback to what she'd done was that her partner was left unable to do much in the way of pleasing her himself.

Desperate to increase their intimacy, the girl let her body collapse on top of Finn, never letting themselves become disconnected. As she continued to roll her hips around, she moved her body back and forth, dragging her hardened nipples across Finn's solid chest. She dug her head into the swell of his neck, her heated breaths becoming trapped between them, raising his warmth even further. Another muscle spasm on Finn's part caused a particularly strong thrust into the girl just as she was coming down, eliciting a sharp yelp from her.

"YEEP…. Haaaa… Finn." She spoke raggedly right against this ear.

In a sudden frenzy, she began rapidly slamming herself against Finn, feeling her climax fast approaching. She snapped her head up so she could bring her face over his. Staring into his eyes, she could tell they were not as clouded as they had been. He was likely still a long way from fully recovering from the drug, but some small part of his conscious was starting to slip through. Her thoughts on the matter came to a grinding halt as she felt her abdomen start to contract. The start of an intense moan broke through her larynx, filling the house for just a moment with an almost haunting wail. She silenced herself upon Finn, clamping her mouth over his, casting her rapturous sounds into him. Her muscles rapidly clenching around his member was all the more signal his body needed. Even a statue has its' limits, and as the virile female shuttered around him, Finn came to his own inevitable conclusion. The woman was slowly coming down from her finale as she felt Finn pour his seed into her womb. It was so hot she was almost afraid it threatened to scorch her, but fought back down any discomforting thoughts, basking in the warmth that her lover had injected into her.

As her muscles slowly released from their taught state, the girl was content to just lay over Finn and enjoy his presence just a bit longer. She was tempted to let herself fall asleep. Just a short nap, she tried to convince herself. Finn was simply too comfortable to draw away from. _'Finn… so nice… tired.'_

Just as her eyes were about to shut, she forced herself back into a state of awareness, pushing on Finn's chest to right herself atop him. She groaned during the motion, still hyper aware of his form in her post-coital state. She did everything just short of slapping herself, needing the reminder of what she still had yet to accomplish. She stared down at Finn as thoughts of her designs for him swirled about in her mind.

It was only recently (relatively) that the woman had decided she'd sorted out her feelings for the boy. This man, whom she had watched grow before her own eyes, had become the sole thing she'd desired in the last many decades. But her intentions for the night did not only go as far as dawn. She would not be content to simply bed him for a night, nor did she really desire to attempt to seek his infatuation on his own terms. The girl… coveted Finn. She didn't simply want to pursue a relationship with him, become a small part in his life. She wanted to own him, draw him away from anything that could distract him, anyone that could come between them. She wanted him isolated, all to herself.

Of course, she couldn't have trusted Finn to come to terms with that of his own accord. That was why she'd devised this plan to draw Finn right into her clutches. She understood that what she wanted would require significant… adjustments to Finn's psyche. She'd chip away at all the parts of his brain that would hinder her designs for him. She'd plant a thought in his head like a tiny seed that would eventually sprout and encompass his mind. She would make him loyal to her, love only her, and acknowledge only her. And she would be thorough… boy oh boy would she be thorough.

The girl looked back into Finn's eyes. A little more of the haze lifted, a fraction more recognition returned. She reached down to wrap her arms around his neck before pulling back up, bringing him with her. The sudden shift seemed to brush a little more of the confusion away from him.

"Hu…huh?... Where?..." Finn grumbled under his breath.

He may have been barely capable of grunting words now, but it was still abundantly clear that he was almost totally out of it. Even if he gained the power to fully converse, it was doubtful he'd remember anything in the morning. The girl knew this, and planned to take full advantage of that fact. She had planned to warp his mind, and was going to go to great lengths to ensure the deepest and most thorough of suggestions was planted. The drug was the first step, casting his mind in a murk and leaving his body a vulnerable vessel. With him so… helpless, the girl couldn't help but have a taste. She'd left him physically and mentally weaker, which would make things for her far easier.

Now came the second step. She placed a hand over his face, cupping his cheek and softly brushing her thumb over his lips. She let her hand drift back, becoming tangled in the dense jungle of hair, wrapping her fingers tightly in his locks, anchoring herself. She bent his head forward over her shoulder, while she reached her own head behind him. She needed a spot that wouldn't easily be seen, either by Finn or anyone else, upon a casual glance. She ran her tongue along his shoulder, savoring his masculine taste. She craned her neck further back, opening her mouth wide. Her teeth began to lengthen in preparation for the meal she was about to enjoy. None too gently, she sunk her teeth into Finn, his flesh easily giving way, like he had always been ready to welcome her in unopposed. Her fangs were hollow, the needle like apparatuses serving dual purposes.

She greedily drew his blood into her, the rich iron fluid bathing her mouth in an excess of flavor. He was like a rare delicacy; the last human on the planet and now her own personal feeder. As blood was absorbed through the fangs, more toxin was poured into Finn's system. This was her own natural toxin, one her species had evolved to naturally produce. It not only served to help improve blood flow, it also served as a powerful narcotic that aided in keeping a victim… docile. Many have gone on record warning of its' addictive properties that, while not universally effective, were almost nigh inescapable when applicable.

Having taken her fill, the girl withdrew her fangs from Finn, licking at the remaining blood that trickled out of the puncture wounds; luckily small enough that they wouldn't allow a notable amount to escape. She licked any and all residue from her teeth with her long, almost serpentine tongue, savoring every drop. Her senses had sharpened inhumanly as a result of the feeding; her skin prickled, her eyes' caught the quickest shadow, her ears the faintest whisper. She was wide awake now, fully aware, and ready to start the process of marking Finn as hers.

* * *

Rapid changes had been plaguing Finn's mind for some time now. As the numbness gradually receded from his senses, he was almost overwhelmed by a multitude of sensations he was not familiar with. He felt like electricity was coursing through his nerves, clenching his muscles, nearly burning him with its' intensity. He had felt a great force wrack his body, something stronger than anything else he'd ever felt before, he could even tell in spite of his addled state. It was like having a sword driven though his body in terms of intensity, but it was far from a painful experience. In all honesty, it was difficult to make heads or tails of sensations in the state he was in, but he was almost sure what he'd felt had been… good.

And then, even after all that it seemed his interesting ordeal was still not quite over with. Yet another sensation attacked him, again totally unique to him; in fact he really had no clue as to what he could liken it to. It was… peculiar; that was all he could be sure of. But when it had passed, at least the most immediate part, he noticed something odd. The fog began to lift again, much more and at a much faster pace than before. Whatever had happened seemed to be alleviating the odd dream-state he'd been cast into, at least to some degree. The whispers began to grow louder, yet now echoed about in a manner that still made them near impossible to decipher. He regained much more feeling in his body, shocked to find it wracked with exhaustion, and an ever so dull pain on the back of his shoulder.

And even his vision started to clear. So much remained shrouded in haze, but the presence, the one solid thing he had grasped on to started to come to light. It was fuzzy, impaired, like looking through the wrong prescription glasses, but it was still far more than he'd had up to this point. Enough of his vision had returned that the presence… no, the person even started to seem… strangely familiar. _'H…hey, wait… it looks… is it…'_

* * *

"Mar…celine?" Finn mewled weakly, almost slurring.

The girl chuckled inwardly. _'Hehehehehe, perfect.'_ The bite she'd given him had served to bring Finn out, just a tiny bit, of the haze he'd been trapped in this whole time. He was still far from cognizant, but now he'd be able to understand her much more clearly. This was what she'd planned for. Nothing she did or said tonight would be remembered by him tomorrow… at least, not consciously. His subconscious, however, would retain pieces of tonight, keeping them locked away to unknowingly influence him. The drug, the mating, the bite, everything up until now had been to weaken Finn's mind, as well as to open it to her suggestions. This was how she would claim him, gradually influence his psyche to turn towards her, crave her. She would put the thought in his head that he needed her and only her to survive. She would continue to do this until evidence of her effects would start to manifest in his actions. He would start to seek her out of his own volition. She would make Finn reliant on her, addicted to her.

"Finn, you're going to listen to me now, okay?" She spoke, softly yet firmly to him.

"I, uh… huh?" Finn answered lamely, continuing to offer a few more weak grunts and whimpers. His response did elicit a quick giggle from Marceline.

"Good. Now, shush up." As she spoke, Finn ceased his jittering and quieted all sounds save for his lightly elevated breathing. To reward his compliance, Marceline began softly stroking her hand through his hair.

"You've always thought about me, haven't you? You constantly have thoughts of me in your head, don't you?" She cooed against his ear, doing everything she could to make her thoughts as enticing as possible.

"You always want to be with me. You CRAVE having my attention. You can't even stand the thought of being separated from me." She leant back to catch Finn's still slightly glazed eyes, making sure her was staring directly into her own.

"You'd do anything to please me. You'd let me do whatever… I… wanted to you." Marceline spoke more intently with each word.

Finn's head began to spin as Marceline spoke to him. He couldn't look away from her eyes that glowed a brilliant, nearly menacing red. Even if his mind had had one last defense, her piercing gaze broke past everything that was his being, driving every one of her thoughts down into the dark core of his brain. As the haze began to creep back, more pervasive than ever, threatening to consume him fully now, Marceline's last words were tossed at him, resonating more strongly than everything else she'd told him.

"You. Are. Mine."

* * *

Marceline watched as the confusion in Finn's eyes gave way to serenity as he fell under once more. She let out an extended sigh as a smile wormed its way onto her face. She was completely satisfied with how the night had turned out, but time would only tell if anything really had the desired effect. Vocalizing her reluctance, Marceline allowed herself to slip away from Finn completely, floating back towards the pile of clothing she'd tossed aside. She would've loved to have the opportunity to fall asleep with Finn rightly cradled in her arms, but it would be far too difficult to explain that situation to Finn in the morning, even more so to his roommates. But the night was still young (for a vampire, anyway), and she had time to linger as she readied herself to fly back into the much more unforgiving night. When finally she'd prepared, she cast her glance back to Finn. He looked so pathetic lying there, arms splayed out, pants around his legs that she couldn't help but let a quick laugh slip. She moved over to him. She didn't mind letting him sort out the confusion on his own come morning, but figured she could at least do him the kindness of covering him up. She gripped the waist of his shorts and tugged them back into their proper position. Finn's face gave no indication he was aware of the disturbance. Tossing a blanket over him, Marceline finally made for his window, ready to make her own escape. As she flew away from Finn's home, back to her own hidden alcove, she sifted through her feelings. She was excited, as excited as she'd been at the start, just watching Finn through the window. She'd only taken the first step tonight. There was still plenty more fun to be had before everything came to a head.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning had come and passed before Finn gave any sign of waking. It was only when his sinuses had become instantaneously sealed that a breath caught in his throat, forcing him awake with in a panic, releasing a disgusting snort as he thrashed into consciousness. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Finn took a second to realize that the day had finally come. Glancing up to a wall-mounted clock, he saw the hands read 1:09; he'd already slept half the day away. He shook his head to try and dissipate the usual waking fog, but to little avail. Finn tried to recall what, if anything he'd done last night, but only seemed to remember leaving to go to bed at a fairly early time. _'So if I slept so much, why am I still so tired?'_ he thought, punctuating his own inner monologue with a yawn.

Finn forced his body to sit upright and twist so he could bring his feet to the floor. He quickly found that his body was also inexplicably fatigued, as much as his mind. He was beginning to grow very confused, and slightly annoyed. _'Seriously, I didn't even go anywhere yesterday. Did I?... No, I couldn't have.' _He searched his brain to try to find some explanation for his weary state, but the last thing he recalled was talking to BMO and then leaving to go sleep. He didn't even remember making it to his bed.

"Or taking my clothes off." He muttered to himself, realizing he was half naked.

That in itself raised a few questions. Finn hardly ever slept undressed. Reaching up to scratch his head, he was even further surprised to find his hat was missing. That set off an immediate red flag, and he was suddenly searching the room frantically for his most cherished object. He didn't have long to fret as his vision settled on the lost article, laying on the floor in the corner of his room as though it'd just been disgracefully cast off. He stood on wobbly feet for a second before finding his balance and padding over to retrieve his hat. He moved and turned it around in his hands. Satisfied that it was not damaged, he pulled it back over his head.

Finn decided to try talking to BMO, see if the little robot knew anything about last night, it being the last person he remembered speaking to. Reaching to grab a shirt from his dresser, he caught a whiff of himself as his arm was raised.

"Ugh, Glob! What, was I up fighting fires all night?" He exclaimed at his appalling odor.

Sure enough, his condition suggested that he had been invested in some significant physical labor the night prior, but he only drew a blank. _"BMO can wait. I've gotta get this taken care of.' _Forgoing seeking answers for the time being, Finn grabbed a clean set of clothing and headed off to the shower.

* * *

A short while later, Finn emerged from the bathroom, a cloud of steam following out the door in his wake. He absentmindedly rubbed a towel at the side of his head, removing the last vestiges of moisture from his follicles. Finishing, he tossed the towel back through the door and pulled out his hat, situating it atop his head once more. Body cleaned and with a fresh wardrobe, Finn set about on his previous search for answers.

He quickly came upon BMO, who currently had a loading screen displayed in lieu of its' face. The bar looked to be about two-thirds filled. Not sure he could actually reach the robot like this, Finn nonetheless attempted to get BMO's attention.

"Uh… Hey, BMO? You busy?" He asked awkwardly.

The machine was apparently capable of response, and shifted its' screen to display its' generally upbeat face.

"Ah, Finn! Finally up I see. Late night with fevered dreams?" It asked with a smirk, raising its' eyebrow suggestively.

"What? No. Or, eh… I don't really know. Actually, I was kinda hoping to ask you something." Finn replied in an obviously confused tone, causing his roommate to adopt a much more serious demeanor.

"Absolutely Finn. I'll answer if I have the knowledge." It replied.

"Do you know if I did anything… strenuous, last night?" Finn asked.

"What exactly do you mean?" The bot questioned in kind.

"Well it's just that I woke up real tired and sore, like I'd been out doing a lot last night. But the last thing I remember was talking to you and then going to bed." Finn explained his odd circumstances. BMO cast him a slightly concerned look.

"I wouldn't think so, Finn. When you went upstairs you looked kinda dizzy and really tired, even though it was pretty early. I had to shut down right after that, so I wouldn't know if you were out, but from the way you were acting I doubt you were up and about. Maybe you just got sick last night. How are you feeling now?" It said, explaining last night's events (as much as it knew, anyway).

"Okay, I guess. Just really tired." Finn replied.

"Well, you know what they say. Sweat out the fever. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about now." BMO said, doing his best to reassure Finn.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Finn agreed. Letting his lingering curiosity drift away, Finn went off to finally get a very late start on his day.

* * *

Much later in the evening, Jake was finally making his way back to his home. He sighed giddily, feeling totally relaxed and energized. He loved these long nights spent in the company of his beloved Rainicorn. Even after all the years they'd been together, the spark between them had not dimmed in the slightest. The mood boost was especially beneficial to him as of late. He'd certainly need it when he was once more faced with the task of trying to cheer up Finn. He opened the door to the Tree Fort, immediately heading for the ladder that led out of the entry hall.

"Hey Finn I'm back! You home!?" The dog shouted to the floors above. No immediate response sounded. He came to the main living room and found it totally empty.

"Finn! You here!? Or BMO!? Anyone!?" From the looks of things, the house was totally deserted. About to simply accept that, Jake started to make for the kitchen when his smaller, mechanical buddy dropped from the rafters right in front of him, causing him to shout in surprise.

"Jake, welcome back! But why are you screaming?" BMO beamed brightly at him, greeting and questioning his outburst.

"Why am I… What do you mean why did I scream!? You just dropped in out of nowhere. I almost thought you were an assassin here to reclaim my kidneys. Geez, you almost gave me a heart attack." Jake spoke rapidly, trying to catch his breath after all the excitement.

"Sorry Jake. I did not mean to make you afraid for your life. I can't help that I have that effect on people." The robot apologized, but did not seem overly concerned.

"Right, right. What were you even doing up there?" Jake questioned.

"Because Finn was right. The rat problem is not going to take care of itself, and I have to overcome my fears if I'm to do anything about it." BMO spoke in a courageous tone that seemed far too much given the situation.

"Okay… Any who, speaking of Finn, is he around here somewhere?" Jake questioned, quickly switching topics to his dour brother.

"Oh, no. He left a few hours ago. He didn't say where he was heading." BMO explained.

"Well did he at least say when he'd be back?" Jake asked.

"No. He just seemed anxious to go outside and got out before I could ask." The machine answered. Jake was less than thrilled with its' response.

"Dang it BMO! I'm trying to keep an eye on Finn. What with him acting so down lately, I don't like letting him go off on his own." Jake scolded the small computer for letting Finn slip from its' supervision.

The robot's digital visage fell, lending him a penitent look. Jake immediately felt remorse, and let his pent up frustration out in a single huff.

"Sorry BMO. Really I shouldn't be worrying so much. I Mean, Finn's practically all grown up by now. I really have to trust he can take care of himself." Jake offered his apology, as well as reluctant admission to Finn's capabilities of self-preservation.

* * *

A little more than an hour later, Jake heard the unmistakable sound of the front door opening. He set aside a book that he had been writing in and rose to greet whomever had just entered his house, presumably his younger brother. He was not disappointed to find Finn climbing up from the ladder, who immediately offered Jake a smile upon seeing him.

"Oh, sup Jake. Good to see you're back." Finn said rather warmly. Jake was slightly taken aback by how cheery he seemed.

"Uh… yeah, I just got here a while ago. So… what have you been up to?" Jake asked, showing jus the slightest hint of suspicion. Finn, though, failed to pick up on that.

"I just had to get out of the house. Attacked a Blood Dwarf fort, probably saved a few villages in the process. I even got this wicked hammer." Finn explained, brandishing a highly ornamental bronze Warhammer he had strapped to his back.

He set the weapon down head-first in the wood which, upon his releasing the handle, gave way to the hammer, dropping it to the hard rock floor below with a tremendous boom. The two brothers looked in mild annoyance through the hole in the floor, seeing the hammer had made a massive crater in the floor below.

"Oh yeah… forgot to mention the thing was cursed." Finn muttered a pathetic excuse.

"Hey, uh, don't sweat it." Jake replied, deciding it best to keep calm in the hopes of prolonging Finn's good mood, and maybe even find out what had caused it.

"So, pretty good day I take it?" Jake questioned, following Finn who had begun walking towards the kitchen.

"Killer! Sorry I didn't wait until you got back from Lady's. I just got kind of… antsy." Finn said humbly.

"All good my main man. Just happy to see you happy." Jake said in full honesty.

* * *

The two spent the remainder of the night chatting happily and goofing off. The whole while, Jake felt like an immense relief had washed over him. He was glad to see his brother had slipped from the seemingly self-imposed depression that had been plaguing him. Although, Jake couldn't keep himself from idly wondering what had transpired that had caused the shift in his mood. _'Maybe all I really had to do was let him sort it out himself. All the stuff I tried to do for him, and he goes and cures things on his own terms in a day. I guess Finn really is his own man now.' _

Later in the night, yet still somewhat early for him, Finn decided to turn in. Jake thought it rather odd considering how energized he'd seemed, but didn't stop or question Finn as he made his way up to their room. Jake himself felt like he still had some time left in him, and retrieved the book he had been working on prior to Finn's arrival. Almost as soon as he'd put pen to paper, BMO came into the room to check on him.

"Made some headway with Finn?" It asked rather pointlessly, already having seen the boy's shift in demeanor.

"Yeah, actually. It was kind of strange almost. I mean, I leave for a day and Finn, apparently overnight, goes from sad sack to his old goofy self. What exactly did I miss last night?" Jake asked, hoping BMO might be able to shed some light on the matter.

"Sorry Jake, but I don't know much. I think Finn got sick last night; he went to bed real early and said he woke up feeling exhausted. He didn't exactly seem so sad when he woke up, but I didn't see him acting so happy until after he came home today." The robot replied to the best of its knowledge.

"Well, whatever. Maybe we just shouldn't pry. Finn's back to normal and that's all that really matters, I guess." Jake dismissed the matter, just happy to have his brother back the way he should be.

* * *

Beyond the walls of the Tree Fort, the familiar vampire seductress was once more spying upon her unwitting associates. As she'd expected, Finn was still slightly suffering from the effects of the cocktail she'd graced him with last night. It was likely his typical sleep schedule would be skewed for some time. That said, she didn't have the absolute freedom she'd enjoyed the previous night. Jake was back and awake downstairs. She'd have no time to waste if she wanted to accomplish what she'd come out to do tonight.

Marceline slid open the window leading to Finn's bedroom, hovering inside. It was times like these she was infinitely grateful for her unnatural abilities; they made her less moral actions infinitely easier. She left the window open so as to allow for a quick exit. Floating over to her prey, she found Finn sleeping deeply, totally engulfed in the furs that made up his blanketing. A smile crept on her face. She desperately wished she could take her time with him, thoroughly ravish his body and mind as she had the night before, but alas, she could not risk that at this time. She was here for long term purposes and she wasn't about to risk that for any immediate gratification. _'Even if he is so… temptingly helpless.' _

Batting down her baser desires, she readied herself for the task at hand. _'Oh well. Not like I'm not getting something out of this.' _Marceline suddenly realized that she'd been slowly drifting closer to Finn. Her face was only inches above his own and her hair had fallen around his head. Had it not been for his hat, the tickling sensation may have woken him. She hastily brought herself higher up and pulled her hair behind her back. _'Easy. Remember, he's just asleep. He's not out… not yet, anyway.' _Her plan for him tonight would require her to act quickly and carefully, lest Finn awaken and complicate things.

She eased her hands to the bed, lightly grasping the edges of his blankets. Delicately, she pulled the covers back, lowering them to expose his upper body. She noted he was wearing not only a worn t-shirt, but even his hat as well. She found that rather odd, and slightly inconvenient to her own designs. Regardless, she readied herself for the operation.

Marceline lowered herself as close as she could to Finn, moving her face above his shoulder, the same she'd fed from last night. She brought her left hand to hover just over Finn while she gently placed her right on Finn's shoulder, just enough pressure that she could keep him down if his muscles jerked. She brought her lips above his shoulder, opening her mouth and extending her fangs. Her teeth pierced easily through the shirt fabric and almost easier still through his skin, as though his body had already memorized its' rightful purpose, to allow Marceline free reign over him.

As her ivory needles punctured his flesh, Finn immediately woke with a start. Before he could even let out a loud breath, Marceline's hand was clamped over his mouth, silencing all noise that could've come from it. He attempted to rise, lash out and throw off whatever had just attacked him, but as he made to move a weight descended on him, pinning him to his bed.

Marceline had momentarily lost herself in the pleasure of performing this ritual, almost letting Finn out from her clutches. She almost panicked, dropping her body to keep him down and tightening her grip on the poor boy's face. Before things could really get out of hand, she focused her attention on her mouth. With enough effort, she was actually able to force more of her toxin into his system. After a few seconds she felt Finn's body start to give way to the alluring numbness of the chemicals. When she felt him completely relax beneath her, she released her hold over his mouth but didn't lift herself off of him, letting herself enjoy the heat of his body.

With Finn no longer at risk of exposing her, she finally took a moment to enjoy his blood as it washed down her throat. As she stole his essence right from under his skin, she continued to release more of her venom into his system; its effects being multiplied with every ounce of blood taken from him. As she fed, she could hear Finn whimper in confusion, the toxin serving to slow him down, but would not put him under on its own. She sucked greedily for several minutes, feeling his life drain from him as it nourished herself. When she was finally fell, she dislodged her fangs from Finn and raised to check on how he was faring, as well as put the next thought in his head.

"Gnnnnnnnn… Marcy?... is that you?" Finn groaned aloud as Marceline came into his view. Despite his ability to recognize her, the strangeness of her presence did not hit him in his wacked state.

"That's right Finn. It's me again." She purred cooly into his face.

"What's going on… where am I…" Finn asked her, but he was clearly having trouble focusing. Humoring him would probably not matter in the long run.

"Doesn't matter Finn. You have a duty to perform." She spoke to him sweetly.

The drug she'd administered the other night was specially crafted to work in tandem with her own venom. It's effects on subduing the body would only last half a day, but it would stay in his system for almost a week, activating any time it detected vampire toxin in the blood and working its hypnotic influence on the mind. She could almost see Finn's brain grow weak beyond his eyes. She smiled as she tenderly brushed loose stands of hair out of his face.

"In a week you'll get a thought in your head. You'll want to come see me at my house. But you will not take anyone else with you." Her face flushed as she spoke to him, the feeling of power as she twisted his mind threatening to overwhelm her. She cupped his cheek, caressing it lovingly and bringing her eyes even closer to his own.

"Do you understand me, Finn?" She whispered.

"Yuh huh." He muttered, bringing a smile to Marceline's face.

"Good boy. Then it's time for you to go back to sleep." She spoke low and kind, rubbing the spot where she had bitten into him.

"Time tuh go slee…" He babbled, not getting to even finish his sentence before drifting back into slumber.

Marceline lay atop him for a few minutes longer, nuzzling into his neck. She touched her lips to his own and snaked her tongue in for a very invasive kiss, knowing she'd have to be content for a week with whatever she got tonight. She wished she didn't have to move so slowly, but she'd learned that moving too quickly with these sorts of plots could end in a failure to properly implement the correct ideas in Finn's head, maybe even cause severe memory trauma. She lingered as long as she could before the sound of movement below her reminded her that she was on borrowed time as it was. So before she was caught she raised herself back into the air, pausing only to pull the blankets back over Finn before flying through the window and into the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

A week had passed since Jake had noticed the marked change in Finn's demeanor; his seemingly instantaneous shift from mild depression to his usual upbeat self. Upon his original discovery, Jake had been all too pleased with Finn's attitude adjustment, so much so that he never bothered to inquire as to what exactly had changed for the young man. But, in the days hence the dog had begun to notice an increasingly evident decline in his brother's state. Not in his mood, though. In fact, Finn seemed as happy now as he had the week prior. What had begun to concern Jake was an odd change in Finn's physical state.

Over the course of several days, Finn had taken on several odd and rather worrisome symptoms. Their development had been so gradual that it almost flew completely under Jake's nose, but taking an objective view made it all too obvious that Finn was not doing too well. He'd begun spending much more time asleep than he ever had. Not only was he sleeping longer stretches at night, going to bed early and waking up inexplicably late, but he had even fallen under just in the middle of the day a few times. When he was awake, he was sluggish and slow. He appeared sickly and gray, his skin was cold and clammy to the touch. He would awake in an almost fevered state, sweating profusely. When Jake observed him sleep, he noted his face seemed to contort and twist as though locked in a constant nightmare.

Then there was the shift in his dietary preferences. Finn's overall appetite seemed to grow weaker every day to the point where he was hardly eating any real food at all. In spite of that, he had started eating substantially more highly sugary foods and drinks than he ever had before. He seemed almost shaky at times, like he was suffering some sort of terrible cravings.

Despite everything, Finn didn't seem troubled in the slightest. If he showed any lack of enthusiasm as of late it was only due to physical weakness and not a lack of motivation. Jake was starting to think that Finn didn't even realize that anything was wrong with himself at all.

Jake had been pondering all of this from the comfort of his lounge, which Finn seldom ever used. As he read through the daily news he considered his options on what he could do to help his brother. Though he had been reluctant to bring the topic up, he finally decided that he would probably have to try and find out what had made Finn escape from his melancholy. Whatever had caused that could well be related to Finn's current… less than healthy state.

Jake had been waiting on Finn to awaken before attempting to pry the knowledge from him. Unfortunately, he had absolutely no way of knowing when Finn would possibly awaken from his troubled slumber. It was already passed noon when Jake finally heard the telltale noises alluding to his companion's awakening. He seemed to be heading towards the kitchen, so Jake folded up his paper and set off to confront the human boy.

* * *

Jake arrived in the kitchen in time to see Finn preparing his "breakfast." He already had filled a bowl with a deplorably unhealthy cereal, one that could only be considered grain in the legal sense, and was currently pouring pure grain sugar into the bowl. When he'd reached a satisfying amount, he grabbed a bottle of root beer to use in place of the more traditional milk. When finally his abominable meal was fully prepared, he grabbed a spoon and began to wolf the sludge down.

Jake shuttered visibly before collecting himself and taking a seat at the table, opposite of Finn. Once he caught his older brother's eye, Finn flashed a small smile through the muck he had been shoveling into his mouth.

"Shwathsup?" Finn slovenly spewed.

"Urgh… Not too much man. Was just waiting for you to get up." Jake replied, just barely keeping from showing his absolute disgust with his counterpart.

Finn gulped down his mouthful before continuing.

"Oh yeah, sorry to keep you waiting again. Just been sleeping like a baby lately I guess." Finn offered before taking another bite of the enamel-melting concoction.

"Yeah… about that. I sort of wanted to talk about your recent sleep habits… among other things." Jake approached cautiously, not really sure how to proceed.

Finn tipped the bowl to his lips and gulped down the remainder of the technical acid.

"Things like what?" Finn asked as he rose to toss the bowl in the sink.

Jake twiddled his thumbs as Finn moved around the kitchen. He really didn't know how he should best act at the moment, how much concern to show. Finn clearly didn't seem to notice anything amiss, and Jake didn't want to seem too worried when half of the evidence pointed to his being wrong on the matter.

"Well… your health, basically." Jake said, obviously nervous.

Finn walked over to the counter, leaning back with his hands on the counter and giving Jake a confused look.

"What's wrong with my health?" He asked.

Ironically enough, especially considering Finn wouldn't notice, it was clear to Jake even now how weak Finn was at the moment. His eyes were surrounded by dark rings and his arms shook, struggling to support even a fraction of his body weight. Even his voice seemed quiet, just barely able to carry across the room.

"It's just… you've been looking kinda bad lately, man." Jake said, speaking in the barest of generalities.

"Bad like how, exactly? Cause really, I don't notice anything." Finn said, obviously not putting much stock in Jake's concern.

"Seriously? I mean, just… seriously? You really haven't noticed ANYTHING wrong?" Jake said, becoming slightly more animated.

Finn gave himself a once over, looking down at his body, bringing his arms up to his face and pinching his skin.

"Mmmmmmmm, nope. Not really." Finn said, not still seemingly confused by Jake's concern.

"Finn, just look at yourself. You're sleeping all the time. Your skin's gray and sagging. You look like you have a fever half the time and the other half you look hypothermic. Not to mention you've basically stopped eating anything other than pure garbage. Seriously dude, I'm starting to get pretty worried here." Jake said, displaying a genuine concern.

Finn wasn't sure how to respond. He himself started to grow worried, if only because Jake seemed so certain something bad was happening to him. But he honestly hadn't felt like he was growing sick or anything. _'I mean, I guess I have been sleeping more than usual… And I guess I have been eating kind of a lot of junk… And things do seem a lot more tiring than they should… Oh crap, Jake may be on to something.' _

Jake saw Finn's face start to take on a bit of concern, and was grateful he at least seemed to be hearing him out. _'Looks like he's starting to come around on me. Guess now's the best chance I'll get to ask about last week.' _Jake cleared his throat to get Finn's attention back.

"Listen Finn, there's been kind of something I've been meaning to ask you about." Jake mentioned.

Finn noted how he spoke, how it seemed that whatever he was about to bring up he perceived would be uncomfortable. Finn didn't respond, but his expression made it clear he was waiting on Jake to continue.

"Ever since last week, well… I mean, for a while you seemed pretty depressed. And then you just kind of seemed to spring back up all of the sudden… I, uh, just wanted to know if anything special happened to bring you back up to snuff" Jake spoke, skirting around each sentence as though afraid to set off a verbal landmine.

Finn looked to ponder his question a moment before answering.

"I… don't think so. I think. I mean, yeah I know I was kind of being a downer for a while but… I really don't know what to say. I just woke up one morning, had some energy to burn, got out there and just felt miles better." Finn said, explaining the circumstanced of his revival.

"That's… really all you can tell me, isn't it?" Jake said, not believing Finn would have any reason to hide anything from him.

"Sorry man, but I can't really think… well…" Finn started, but seemed to trail off as though some recent memory were coming to light.

"Think of something?" Jake asked, slightly hopefully.

"I guess, maybe? Something weird did sort of happen to me last week. That night you went to Lady's, I went to bed really early, like I got sick or something. I woke up real late and felt, just… exhausted. Physically, I mean, like I'd been out all night, but I don't remember anything like that. Then after I went out the next day… I don't know. I just felt… better." Finn replied.

"That's kind of strange, don't you think?" Jake pondered aloud.

"I haven't really given it that much thought." Finn said.

Jake just sat quietly for a moment, trying to make sense of Finn's situation given this new information. _'That really doesn't sound very encouraging. If he was just sick then sleep should've refreshed him. What if he was sleepwalking? Or worse, what if he did something bad enough that he just forgot about it, or someone else made him forget about it.'_

Finn watched as Jake's brow furrowed in troublesome thought. He never enjoyed watching his brother look worried, especially over things that seemed of so little concern to him. Finn walked up to Jake's side and placed a hand on the dog's shoulder, shaking him out of his thoughts and prompting him to look up.

"Honestly man, I really don't think this is something to worry about." Finn said with a smile, doing his best to try and alleviate Jake's concern.

"I don't know…" Jake said, still obviously suspicious of the situation.

"I'll tell you what, Jake. Let's just go out on an adventure. Get some fresh air, some exercise. I'd bet my bod's just getting back into the habit of heroing and such. Watch, give it a week and I bet I'll be back to top performance." Finn said, rather enticingly.

"Well…" Jake said looking quite unsure.

A glance towards Finn revealed his face to be absolutely pathetically pleading. He held his hands together in front of him, supplementing the begging stature.

"Okay, okay, man. We'll try things your way. But I'm putting you on a strict diet." Jake said authoritatively, which, coming from him, all but diminished any serious weight behind the threat.

"Sweet! Grab your stuff man, I got a tip about a bunch of bandits sneaking around the Candy Forest." Finn said in hastily before bolting out of the room to grab is equipment.

Jake sighed before lifting himself up and trailing much slower after his all too eager young brother.

* * *

Several hours later, Finn and Jake were walking down a dirt path in the midst of the vast forest. The sun had just barely started to make its exit, the faintest hues of purple and gold beginning to appear in the sky. The canopy above the two diminished the light to some degree, but enough was left to still comfortably illuminate the path. Proof of their recent exploits were apparent on either of their bodies. Dozens of scratches, bruises, scrapes and various minor cuts littered their clothes and bodies. But the weak amount of discomfort either would have felt was nothing compared to the sense of sheer accomplishment that was felt after a hard-day's work rooting out bandits and saving innocents.

"Man… I gotta say… you were probably right… that was great!" Jake said through several pants. The physical toll of the day's events were evident for both of them.

"Yeah?... What'd I tell ya… A little exercise does the spirit good." Finn said with equal difficutly.

"Well… guess you were right…_for once._" Jake said, just barely letting the last part slip under his breath.

"So… guess we better…. Get back home… I seriously need a… nice cup of Earl Grey." Jake said, very eager to get back to their fort and kick his feet up.

As Finn was about to agree with his brother, a rather strange thought crossed his mind. _'You know something, I haven't seen Marceline in forever. As long as I'm out I may as well check up on her.' _What Finn couldn't have realized was that this was not just an idle whim, indeed if he tried to take a different course of action he would've found himself incapable of doing so.

"You go ahead man, I'm still feeling pretty pumped… Think I'll stay out for a while longer." Finn mentioned, his breathing becoming much more measured. Jake cast a stunned glance over at Finn

"Seriously man?... We've been out half the day." He said, not believing Finn could still retain so much energy.

"Yeah… I kinda feel like going to hang out with Marcy." Finn said very naturally.

"The Vampire Queen?... I haven't seen her in months. What makes you say that?" Jake queried. Finn shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know… I just haven't seen her in a while. I just sort of thought of it. Besides, it's not like I have to avoid her or anything." Finn said slightly defensively.

"Alright, whatever man. I'm going home, but if you're staying out at least call if you won't be home." Jake said, squinting his eyes at Finn.

"Sure thing man." Finn confirmed.

The two walked in silence for the rest of their short walk. When the path forked, Jake followed one route down to the Tree Fort while Finn took the other route headed towards Marceline's lair.

* * *

A while later, Finn was standing at the edge of an old and ruined canyon. He was peering over the edge of a dilapidated old road he'd been told had once been called a highway. A small opening could be seen on the face of the cliff, just across from him. Finn eased his way down the rock wall, careful not to move too quickly lest the withered stone give way under him. Once he had reached the bottom, he turned and began jogging to the cave entrance. It briefly struck him as odd just how excited he was to see his friend. But he paid himself no heed and charged head first down the slope and towards the oddly cozy looking little house perplexingly situated in the middle of the otherwise dank and vacant cave. He walked up the path taking him through a charming little garden and up to the door. Grinning ear to ear, he knocked several times on the door.

* * *

Marceline had had a much more boring day than Finn, really a much more boring week. There hadn't been much going on with Ooo's nightlife as of late, and she was rather averse to doing anything in daylight hours. So she'd been subjected to lazing about her house, agonizing over the wait she'd cursed herself to. Her anxiety had grown worse by the day, desperately wishing Finn would just get the hint and come to her already.

Today she'd accomplished little more than some red sucking, movie watching and bass playing. As the natural light began to leave her cavern she couldn't help but dwell on the last order she'd issued Finn. He should've been arriving sometime today, of course, assuming the suggestion took. But it was getting late and there was still no sign of him. As she floated supine over her couch in the living room, anxiously picking at her bass, her nerves steadily began to fire off. She didn't know if it was the sheer boredom or fear of failure that was driving her more insane, all she knew was that she needed some manner of alleviation, and fast. And then, the knocking at her door came.

Her eyes immediately shot to the door and a dark smile crawled across her face. Few people even knew where she lived, fewer still were ever inclined to drop by unannounced. She knew exactly who had come here. Any semblance of a foul mood quickly evaporated from her as she telekinetically lifted herself forward and started to float towards her door. She opened it to reveal the goofily grinning visage of Finn looking back, just over a foot away.

"Marcy! It's been way too long." Finn said cheerfully, continuing to hold his wide and sincere smile.

"Finn, well now this is a pleasant surprise." She said, feigning ignorance to his arrival.

After she spoke she floated to the side, inviting him into her small home. Finn almost eagerly bounced through the door, which was quickly shut by Marceline. Spinning back around to face her, Finn watched as she floated past him, back to her prior spot hovering just above the couch.

"So, do tell. For what reason has the great hero himself seen fit to grace little old me with a visit?" She asked somewhat teasingly. Her question caused Finn to shift around rather nervously.

"Come on Marcy, you're my friend. It's not like I need a reason to visit. Besides, I haven't seen you in forever. I feel like we barely hang out much as it is." He replied.

"Okay, chill man. Just having a little fun. Honestly, I'm pretty glad you showed up, Things have been pretty dull around here lately." Marceline said coolly.

"So what does milady propose we do to relive her boredom?" Finn asked.

Marceline could think of plenty she wanted to do to Finn at the moment, but withheld herself. She needed only a few more hours to get Finn into a comfortable enough state that she could continue to… progress with him. The best thing she could do right now was to get Finn as relaxed as possible.

"I don't know, feeling kind of mellow right now to be honest. Let's just pop in a bad movie and make fun of it." Marceline offered.

"Sounds good to me. Guess I could actually do with some down time." Finn replied, rubbing at a shoulder.

At his motion, Marceline noticed he was covered in a plethora of small injuries. She started to float towards the ladder that led to her bedroom, encouraging Finn to follow her. When she reached the top floor she looked down the hole to see Finn ascending the ladder.

"So what exactly happened to you today? Get in a fight with an especially vicious squirrel?" She inquired as he climbed.

"No I learned my lesson last time. Me and Jake just spent the day taking out bandits in the forest." He said rather proudly.

"Hmmm." She replied, not really interested in what he'd been up to earlier.

As Finn pulled himself up out of the hole, Marceline moved over to a pile of video tapes heaped in a corner, picking one at random. She floated over to her small television, popping out a different tape from the player and replacing it with the one she'd just picked. Turning on the device, she floated back just enough to reach the L-couch she had stored in her room, actually physically sitting on this one. She looked over to Finn, seeing he'd just made it to his feet.

"Pop a squat." She said, patting the cushion beside her.

Finn happily obliged, walking over and taking a seat on the sofa, just a few inches separating him from his host. The couch up here was, mercifully, far more comfortable than the apparent torture device Marceline inexplicably kept downstairs. He thought back to the first few times he'd hung out with her in her personal room. The original experience had been rather awkward. It was bad enough, just being invited into a pretty girl's room, sitting so close with her in her own private space, but was compounded by memories of his first 'unofficial' visit to her room. But they'd shared enough time together now that Finn felt totally at ease hanging with Marceline in this setting.

Well, maybe he never really grew TOTALLY totally comfortable. It had been obvious to Finn for a long time how attractive Marceline was, a feeling that had only grown the older he got. Despite as close of friends as they were, he wasn't always able to get past the fact that he was hanging around a truly stunning woman. Of course, he never fostered any real feelings of desire towards her. They'd always been too buddy-buddy for him to take a serious chance at starting a relationship with her. Admittedly, there had been times in the past when he'd entertained the thought, but he'd come to accept the fact that a barely eighteen year old kid could actually strike the fancy of a thousand-year plus immortal monster. Poor Finn never realized how utterly wrong he was.

His thoughts were distracted as music signaled the start of the movie. He focused on the screen as the title came into focus, displaying the ridiculous name, 'Passions in the Tempest.' Each of the two on the couch let a snicker already.

"Alright. Off to a strong start already." Marceline said mockingly, drawing out a continued chuckle from Finn.

As the film began to start in earnest, Marceline quickly eyed the short gap between her and Finn. It occurred to her just how close he was to her, how simple it would be to just scoot over, wrap him up tightly, bite into him… _'Ease up.' _She said, reeling her mind in. _'I've got all night. No need to risk things by moving too fast.' _Even as she told herself this, she still couldn't repress the urge to move towards him. Before she could stop herself, she had closed the distance between her and Finn, pressing her side to his and throwing an arm across his shoulders. She couldn't deny how good it felt just to be back in contact with the kid, but was able to stop herself from doing any more, keeping the embrace as platonic as possible.

Finn himself hadn't been expecting that move, and certainly didn't know how to make heads or tails of the gesture. A blush found its way to his face, but other than that he showed no signs of acknowledgement. Soon enough, he even felt himself melting into the embrace, Even though he told himself this was just a friendly gesture on Marceline's part, just a show of how comfortable she was around him, he felt an odd feeling, like this was totally natural to him. Just… right.

The two relaxed into each other, each finding comfort in the other's presence, and settled in to watch the movie, cracking jokes often and filling the room with raucous laughter.

* * *

Late into the movie, Finn felt Marceline shift away from him, floating up and away from the couch. She turned in mid-air and stared leisurely drifting towards the ladder opening, still looking at Finn.

"I'm gonna grab a bite real quick. You want anything?" She asked him.

"Some soda'd be nice if you have any, or really just anything sweet. I feel like I need to enjoy sugar while I can, I think Jake's gonna put me on a diet." He replied.

Marceline looked mildly perplexed for just a moment before chuckling lightly.

"Whatever you say, Finn." She said somewhat snottily.

Leaving Finn to watch the movie, she headed downstairs and into her kitchen. Opening the fridge she grabbed a bottle of cola and set about pouring a glass for Finn. Once the glass was filled, she replaced the bottle and moved over to the cabinet. She opened it to reveal a multitude of small bottles and boxes filled with medication. She grabbed an unlabeled bottle situated towards the back and out of view. Pulling it out, she struggled to pop the safety cap, quietly cursing the imbecile who had designed these accursed things. When she finally had it open, she tipped the bottle, spilling a single black pill into her palm. Gripping the small object, she spun the lid back onto the bottle and replaced it in the cabinet. Moving back to Finn's beverage, she once again crushed the pill and poured its remnants into the liquid, swirling it around to assure complete dissolution.

Grinning to herself, she grabbed the vessel and started back towards the upper level. Once back in her room, she floated back over to the couch, handing Finn his drink and taking her place back beside him.

"Thanks Marcy, but it thought you were getting something too?" Finn said, finding it odd she hadn't brought anything for herself.

"Oh, I just grabbed something quick in the kitchen." She fibbed.

In truth, she'd purposely foregone sating her own hunger, knowing full well she wouldn't want to spoil her appetite for later. As she settled back into the movie, she kept a tab on Finn. As soon as he'd received the drink, he'd begun quickly downing the fluid, as though he hadn't had anything to drink for days. Marceline wasn't surprised by this, she had heard that the particular medication she used could cause some strange cravings in the victim. Evidently Finn had received an especially vicious sweet tooth.

As the movie came to its end, Marceline checked once more on Finn. Only a small amount of the cola remained in the glass, which trembled slightly in his unsteady hands. His head swayed around and his eyelids twitched and moved ever closer towards closing entirely. Finn was falling fully under the sway of the drug once again.

She smirked to herself as she watched Finn's senses leave him. He was close to falling under, but until he did she would still have to play up her role as unsuspecting bystander lest he remember any odd actions of hers. Just as his hand was about to spill the glass, she reached over and grabbed it, lifting it away from his fingers. He seemed to hardly notice.

"You okay there Finn? You look sort of drowsy?" She falsely inquired.

"I'm, uh… feeling a little out of it… to be honest." He said, obviously with some difficulty.

"You don't look so hot. Maybe you should stay the night." Marceline offered, feigning concern.

"T'sokay, I can manage…" As he slurred, he attempted to rise from the couch, but did not make it very far before falling back, interrupting himself.

"Okay, you're definitely not going anywhere tonight. I'll call Jake and let him know you're gonna stay here." As she spoke, she moved over to the couch, sitting beside Finn so she could throw his arm over her own shoulder.

She helped him to stand, Finn resting almost his entire weight on her. Moving slowly, she shakily led him over to her own queen bed. Finn offered no resistance or argument in his rapidly declining state. She twisted them around at the foot of the bed, and glided backwards, sliding Finn along the top comforter. Once his head touched the pillow, she let him go, leaving him lying flat against the bed. She looked over his face to find he'd already fallen totally asleep. She smiled cruelly as she turned away from Finn and headed off to find her phone.

* * *

"Full house." BMO said, grinning confidently as it placed it's hand on the table.

"Royal flush. Sorry BMO, looks like I'm taking the pot this time." Jake said, a smug grin on his face as he tossed his own hand on the table.

BMO looked first to be in disbelief before shifting to extreme annoyance. Jake just laughed manically as he wrapped his arms around the pot in the middle of the table, really nothing more than a few assorted nuts, candy that had been found between the couch cushions, and the odd marble and paperclip. Still, despite the rather meager stakes, the game had been as heated as a world class tournament, due chiefly in part to Jake's incredibly overzealous competitive nature.

"You cheated. You must've peeked my cards when I left to use the bathroom." BMO said accusingly.

"Don't hate the player, hate the game." Jake responded, popping a cashew into his mouth.

BMO just huffed and hopped down from his seat, turning to leave the room. Jake watched in satisfaction as the little robot stormed angrily away from him. As he collected the cards on the table and shuffled them back into a full deck, he heard the phone begin to ring in the next room. Knowing BMO would be unlikely to answer it in the midst of its' fit, he set the deck down and moved to pick up the receiver.

"Y'ello?" Jake said casually into the mouthpiece.

A hiss on the other line was the only response. Even though he knew well who it was, it still sent a shiver up his spine, bringing back old and lingering feelings of fear and distrust.

"Why can't you just answer like a normal person Marceline?" He said with a sigh.

"Well I can promise you I sure as hell didn't become the Queen of all vampires so people would think I was 'normal'" She replied, accentuating the last word so as to bring to mind the use of air quotes.

"Well I guess you've got me there. So what's up, Finn still over there?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, actually called about that." The way she said this grabbed Jakes attention in a slightly concerned way.

"Finn's here, but he's uh… sort of out of it." She continued.

"What do you mean?" Jake asked.

"He seemed fine until a few minutes ago. He looked pretty sick and he just clocked out." Marceline explained.

"What!? Oh man, I should've guessed this'd happen. Hang on Marce, I'm coming over to grab him." Jake said in a haste.

"Hold on there, kemosabe." She shouted just before Jake slammed down the phone, catching his attention once more.

"It's not like Finn looked that bad, I mean, he's out like a light but nothing really seems wrong with him. Just let him crash here tonight, I'll watch the kid." She said.

"You… would let him sleep in your house… and look out for him?" Jake sounded skeptical.

"Yeah, I really don't mind. I'll have back over there in the morning." Marceline said nonchalantly.

Jake was not at all sure about this. On the one hand, he guessed he really wasn't too surprised by this given Finn's recent debilitations. Of course, just because it was a recently normal occurrence didn't mean Jake felt comfortable with Finn staying out in his state. Besides Finn's uncertain health, there was also the question of Marceline to deal with. It wasn't that he distrusted the vampire, after all he and Finn known her long enough to consider her a friend. But never did she strike him as the type to just help someone out of the goodness of her heart. It seemed odd how casually she sounded in allowing Finn to stay with her, in her residence which she was adamantly protective of.

"Uh, Jake? You still there?" Marceline's voice shook Jake out of his thoughts and he became aware of how long a pause he had taken.

"Well… if you're really sure about this… then okay, I'll leave Finn with you tonight. But whenever he wakes up you be sure to send him back here, he should be fine enough to get himself back by then." Jake agreed, but still sounded rather unhappy with the whole arrangement.

"Read you loud and clear. I'll be sure to take very good care of him." And with that the line she cut the call.

Jake sighed heavily as he set the phone back down. He didn't want to feel this concerned about the situation. Finn didn't seem as well as he should've been, but it wasn't like he was totally helpless, or terribly sick for that matter. And Marceline was one of their closest friends; she'd come through when things really mattered. He wanted to believe Finn was in absolutely no danger. But despite all his rationalizing, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something sinister was hanging around his younger brother.

* * *

Setting aside her own phone, Marceline once more began hovering back towards her bed and her guest. He looked completely at ease, resting in her bed. He looked so peaceful that Marceline found herself being lulled into a calm just from watching him. The steady rising and falling of his chest, the light breaths that escaped from his mouth, and his utterly serene expression lending an oddly… comforting feeling to the room. Marceline brought herself closer, hovering over the bed, but off to his side. Her face was a few inches away from and above his chest, but she made no move to touch him.

What Marceline was feeling now was not at all in line with what she had been feeling, been expecting to feel, much earlier this day. The burning desire to ravish him, subject him absolutely to her own will, was slowly yet steadily diminishing. Retreating, yet just as quickly being replaced by a different thought. She was craving his physical presence, but not in the heated, passionate way she'd had thought she'd desired. Slowly, she maneuvered herself to float totally over him, a position she was becoming more and more accustomed to. Gently, she placed herself atop him, resting her chin and his ever moving chest, locking her eyes on his peaceful face. Her arms went around his waist, digging between him and her blankets.

'_What exactly am I doing?' _Marceline thought. She had Finn, once more, totally at her mercy, in her own home, with zero chance of interruption, and yet all she found she wanted was to simply lay by Finn. But as he was now, he was just so… appealing, just not in the ways she had thought before. He was warm, so much warmer than her own unnatural body temperature. She could hear, feel his slow, rhythmic heartbeat just below her cheek, constantly reminding her of the precious life she had right at her fingertips. His expression was one of absolute peace.

Marceline began to understand what exactly she was feeling now, something she hadn't realized prior to now. Finn was more than a simple tool to her, more than something she'd just needed to sate her physical desires. Finn was a… a comfort. Just having him here and to herself was soothing in an almost medicinal way. It was the fact that, even unconscious, Finn looked content, and it was she that had brought him to this blissed state. It was not just about having someone who only recognized her as their one purpose in life, she wanted to give them a reason for thinking that. She wanted to be acknowledged as the only person that could bring them true happiness. If she could make them unequivocally happy, then she herself would feel the same.

At that time, Finn seemed to come out of the initial blackout caused by the drug. She watched as his eyes opened, revealing those lifeless, empty windows into a very open and vulnerable mind. _'So maybe this isn't exactly what I was picturing. Doesn't mean I still can't enjoy this.' _In light of her revelation, Marceline still strongly craved the touch of her mindless victim. _'Guess sometimes it's just nice to have a gentle touch.'_

Marceline shifted her arms beneath Finn, sliding them up along his back until she was gripping his shoulders from behind. Using him as leverage, she pulled herself up his body, closer to his face. She lay eye to eye, smiling down at his blank expression. Relinquishing herself to gravity, she let her face drop the few inches it needed to reach Finn's, gracing him with a long and tender kiss. She was absolutely content to let the embrace linger for several minutes.

When she finally broke the contact, her eyes fell on his, reminding her that he was still totally unconscious. It occurred to her that the only reason she'd left him like this the last time was so she could have her way with him in peace. Now, she figured she may as well bring Finn into his semi-conscious state. For what she was feeling now, a mildly responsive Finn would be preferable to doll-like Finn. It also wouldn't hurt to start implanting a few more suggestions in that skull of his.

Reaching her hands just a few inches forward allowed Marceline to grab at Finn's hat without removing them from their comfortable spot underneath him. With a slight tug, the article came loose and she was able to pull it free of Finn's head, dropping it just behind him. With that out of the way, she leant off to his side, just enough to reach the sweet spot on his shoulder. Burying her face in the crook of his shoulder, she let her teeth slip out her mouth, barely pressing against his skin. The bite entered slowly, carefully. For Marceline, this was far more than some predatory feeding, it had become an almost sacred ritual, the means through which she would ensure Finn's desire to turn himself over to her.

Once more Finn's blood began to flow into Marceline as her toxin seeped into his system. At the appearance of the venom, the ether clouding Finn's thoughts began to dissipate slightly, enough to allow him to half-awaken. He groaned at length, but it certainly didn't seem to be in discomfort. Marceline paid him little mind at the moment, more inclined to enjoy her meal for the moment. As she drank, Finn continued to groan. She felt him twitch beneath her, making the effort to shift himself, bring an arm up, do something, but he simply didn't have the strength to control his body at the moment. That suited the vampire just fine. As far as she was concerned, there wasn't a need for him to do anything except sit still and listen.

After several more minutes, she noticed his blood flow slow noticeably, making it clear that she should really cease her ministrations. She eased her fangs out of his tissue, and pulled her head back. She looked down to his latest wound to find that the blood hadn't even flowed enough to dribble out, only a couple small beads appearing where the puncture wounds were. It occurred to her that she had fed a lot from him in a relatively short amount of time. It would probably be best if she held back for a while, give his body a chance to recover the lost fluid. She didn't dwell on how difficult she may find restraining herself in the coming weeks; for now she was very content with what she had just received.

Satisfied for the moment, Marceline moved her arms out from under Finn to his sides, and pushed herself up over him, now looking down at him from arm's length. He at least seemed semi-aware, but still looked to be highly impaired, more so than the last time she had drugged him. She figured it was probably because he hadn't had as long to let the drug settle within him before she brought him out, or it may have been due to his almost dangerously low blood pressure, or a combination of the two.

"Finn? Can you understand me?" She asked softly, trying to gauge just how addled he was at the moment.

"Mar…cy." He said at length, a weak smile forming on his lips.

The manner in which he said her name sent a small shiver of excitement through Marceline. He spoke with recognition, even a small bit of eagerness. A small sign that her 'visits' were starting to sink into his mind, becoming permanent. He was starting to learn his place.

"Hmmm. Good." Marceline said, put at ease by his response. After confirming his awareness, she pushed herself back from her somewhat awkward position, sitting back on her heels and straddling Finn's waist.

Finn, apparently, had tried to bring himself back up to meet her. His arms moved slightly back to try and give himself support as his head stretched forward. Finn, however, could not lift his body even a few inches, much less sit up on his own accord. Marceline just smiled at him and reached a hand down, pressing her palm against his forehead and gently pushing him back down to the bed.

"Just relax Finn." She said, Finn getting the hint and stopping his movement.

"You did good today, following orders and coming to me as you were told." She cooed down to him.

"Just… thought…" Finn muttered, still smiling up towards Marceline.

"I know what you thought. I'm the one who told you to think it." She said, taking a moment to again relish in her success.

"That's right. You only ever need to think what I tell you to think." Marceline began softly rubbing her hand through his hair as she spoke.

"Just… think…" Finn said, pantomiming what he was being told.

"All you ever want is to serve me, do as I see fit. Even if you had to leave behind Jake, or anyone else, you'd do it for me."

"For… you…" He spoke, again showing that the thoughts were seeping in.

"You won't care about anything else. Just being around me is all the more comfort you'll ever need."

"Around… you…"

"You'll start to crave my presence more than anyone else's from now on. You'll start to seek me out with more and more frequency."

"Want…"

"And you'll never deny me anything of yours. Even your blood is mine to enjoy."

As a last measure of assurance, Marceline grabbed the back of Finn's head and brought him up and forward to sit before her. She positioned his face right before his own, looking hard into her eyes. She could see just how captivated he was then, staring right back at her. His own eyes were still largely desolate, but she could recognize a small glint within them. Desire.

"Do you still understand me Finn?" She asked, making sure their gazes remained locked.

"…yes." He replied, almost meekly.

Marceline smiled sweetly for his agreement and let out a low hum. She leaned herself closer to him, raising up just a bit, and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. Pulling back, she saw that he'd already fallen asleep once again, and eased him gently back down to the bed. Lifting herself into the air, she sighed in contentment as she watched his face change back to its utter peace, showing his mind had rid itself of all worries for the time.

A smirk on her lips, she turned around to head downstairs. She would love to join him in a real rest later, but for now she had no need. After all, she wasn't drugged to the gills and was still a nocturnal being (for the most part). So she figured she could kill a few hours on her own time. The apprehension she'd felt at that prospect earlier was gone, dissipated at the knowledge that she had Finn safe with her, right in her own home; and he was slowly starting to turn his freedom over to her.


	4. Chapter 4

Finn awoke with a start, almost in a panic. His senses had been finely sharpened in the many years he'd been an adventurer; in that time he'd developed an uncanny knack to tell when something was not right, even if he had been asleep. His eyes shot open and his limbs began to flail about. However, having been wrapped quite snugly in a thick blanket, he only served to entangle himself and, rather humiliatingly, wound up falling from the platform he was on and to the hard floor. The impact knocked much of the panic out of him, and as he allowed his body to go slack from the slight pain he found the blankets came away much easier.

Rising from the floor and pile of sheets he'd left behind, he found that indeed his surroundings were not as they should have been. But while he was correct in the feeling that something was off, he quickly realized the problem, as well as the fact that he was really in no danger. It was clearly not his own bedroom, but at least the surroundings were familiar enough to be immediately recognizable. _'This is… Marceline's room._' Though it had become clear where he was, that revelation did not give a clue as to why he had awoken here and not in his own home.

Finn glanced around the room in search of the residence's owner, but found she was at least absent from the room. Without her to give an explanation, he attempted to think back to… whenever, the last time he could remember something was. He definitely recalled adventuring with Jake earlier. Then he had split with him to see Marceline. He arrived and they had watched a movie together. Then… nothing. He wrapped a fist against his skull to try and jog his memory, but he just couldn't seem to remember how he had wound up in Marceline's bed. As he had that thought, a slight blush appeared to signify how perverted that seemed. _'I really need some context here. Hopefully Marcy's just downstairs and can clue me in.'_

Hoping to get some answers, Finn started walking towards the ladder that would bring him back to the lower level. Taking a step, however, proved far more difficult than it should have been. He wobbled slightly, nearly losing his balance. He was forced to hop forward several steps, nearly collapsing, and wave his arms wildly in order to right himself. Collecting himself, he looked down at his body in confusion. _'Whoa, what is wrong with me? Why do I feel so weak? It's like I'm… empty, or something.'_ Now mildly concerned, he began walking towards the ladder, going much slower this time.

Taking his time, he eventually got a grip on the ladder, and descended to the ground level. When finally he stood in the living room, he finally found his friend, hovering just above her couch with her axe bass in hand. She herself was occupied fiddling with the tuners on the instrument, and didn't notice Finn enter the room until he announced his presence.

"Uh, hey Marceline." He said, loud enough to be heard but in a somewhat embarrassed tone. At the sound of his voice, Marceline perked up and craned her neck to the ladder, seeing Finn standing at the base. A smile crept across her face as she became aware of him.

"Well, well, Finn. Finally finished getting your beauty sleep?" She teased.

"Yeah… I mean, NO!" He said, becoming even further embarrassed by her question. Marceline just laughed quietly at his evident confusion.

"Seriously, Marcy, I'm sort of freaking out over here." He nearly had to plead to get her to settle down.

"All right, all right. What's got you so fidgety?" She said, keeping to her usual cool demeanor.

"How about the fact that I woke up here, in your bed!" He exclaimed.

"Well waking up is usually what follows falling asleep." Marceline said, matter-of-factly.

"No… not what I meant." Finn said, pinching the bridge of his nose in exhaustion._ 'Man, I just woke up and already people are of no help.' _

"I mean, what am I doing here? When did I fall asleep, and why am I still here?" He asked, making sure his questions were more defined.

"Ease up Finn. Look, you just kinda passed out last night. It was a little after the movie finished and you looked pretty sick. I could barely tell anything was up before you clocked out on me, so I just let you spend the night. And before you ask, I called Jake and let him know the deal." She finally explained.

"…Oh… ohhhh…" He spoke, his expression turning odd, like he was in some mild inner conflict.

"Ohhhhh?" Marceline mimicked in mock confusion.

"Oh, uh… It's just… That's not the only time this has happened lately." He explained, seeming worried.

"That so?" She asked boredly.

"But, you really just let me crash here?" He said, quickly switching topics.

"Yeah." She said simply.

"And, uh… tucked me in?" He asked again as he rubbed his neck in renewed embarrassment.

"Well, I figured if I even let you catch a cold on my watch than Jake 'd try to stake me." She reasoned.

"Right, well… thanks. For everything, Marcy." He stated earnestly.

"Don't mention it. Now, you should probably be heading back home before Jake comes over and kicks in my door." She said, but with evident jocularity.

"Oh, yeah, you're probably right…. Uh, hat? Where's my hat?" He said, suddenly realizing most of his gear, headwear included, was missing."

"Still upstairs I bet. Don't worry, I'll grab it." She said, quickly setting aside her bass and floating up to her room. She reappeared in under a minute, Finn's bear hat and backpack in tow. She quickly handed the items back to Finn, who immediately slung the pack over his shoulders and affixed his iconic hat.

"All right. Well… I guess I better get going." He said, still seeming slightly unhinged.

"Ring me up some time soon. I missed just hanging around. Plus, you owe me for covering for your sorry but last night." She told him.

"All right. It's a deal." He said, blushing again but giving her a wide smile.

With that, he finally exited from her house. He turned around at the mouth of the cave to see Marceline still watching him from her doorway, and sent a last wave over towards her. She responded with a small wave in kind, and Finn was off to return to his home, and probably a lecture from his adoptive brother as well. Yet even as he traveled to face, for better or worse, the repercussions of all that had transpired last night, one small thought remained constant in his head, tucked away in the corner of his mind but remaining ever present. _'I can't wait to see her again.'_

* * *

As expected, Finn had received a mild verbal lashing from Jake upon his arrival. Really, Jake simply wanted to convey his concern for him, especially given his odd new narcoleptic tendencies, but that didn't mean the dog wasn't still peeved about the whole ordeal. Finn sat quietly and, for the most part, tuned Jake out. He caught bits and pieces of the lecture, but was far more preoccupied with his own thoughts that, for some odd reason he couldn't begin to understand, largely centered on Marceline.

"…don't want you out anymore unless I'm with you, or at least some else we trust…"

'_Man last night was fun. Why haven't I hung out with her more often?'_

"…lucky you were at Marceline's house. I mean if you had been…"

'_Things are so simple with her. I don't have to worry about myself like with FP or PB. We can just chill and have fun without trying to bullshit each other.'_

"…teeth are all gonna fall out. Starting now I'm putting you on Lady's 'grassroots and chamomile' diet. And another thing…"

'_I've gotta go see her again soon. Being around her really me feel so much better.'_

"…okay then. You know I'm just doing this because I love you, right man?" Jake seemed to finish his speech, now clearly looking for a response from Finn.

"No, yeah, I get it." He replied, doing his best to make it look like he'd actually been paying attention

"I'm just trying to look out for you. It really seems like your health his getting a little out of control. I think I'm gonna try to get you a doctor's appointment." Jake said.

"Really? I mean, don't you think that's a little drastic. I'm not doing that bad. And I thought we'd agree we'd just give this a little time. Come on, you know my bod's systems are tough enough to knock out any microcrud that tries to mess up my gunk." Finn replied. He couldn't say why, but somehow the idea of a visit to the doctor seemed extremely undesirable. Jake let out an audible sigh.

"Alright man, we'll try things your way. For a while. But seriously, if you're not better in a week or you get any worse, I'm taking you to Doctor Princess. No negotiation." Jake said with finality.

"Fair enough." He said with a shrug. Feeling their conversation was pretty much over, Finn left the room and started to head down to the front door.

Truth be told, he was starting to grow a little tired of all these lectures Jake had been giving him lately. _'I mean, I'm practically an adult. I've cheated death hundreds of times. For Glob's sake, I've saved the whole world at least four times. I don't need him treating me like a little kid.'_ Coming to the entry hall, Finn grabbed the sword he'd been using as of late and went outside, turning in the direction of the garage.

He entered the small alcove, the high noon sun providing plenty of light to see by. He set himself down on a wooden bench and picked a small, rough object that was laying right beside him. It was a whetstone, a small stone used to sharpen blades. Setting it back down, Finn hefted his sword up to his lap and inspected it. Admittedly, he'd never been the most responsible weapon owner, his numerous blades hardly ever lasting him more than a year. His latest blade was an odd little number. It looked less like a sword and a lot more like a cleaver, the blade being nearly three inches thick and only sharp on one side, as well as ending in a blunt head. However, unlike the standard kitchen implement, it extended as far as a normal long sword. The blade had a number of nicks along the steel, to which he promptly put the whetstone and began rubbing.

The more swords he lost, the more steps he took to try and take better care of the things. Eventually, he found that the simple maintenance work was rather relaxing in a way. It required almost no presence of mind, allowing him some time to think on things. And of course, there was one particular thing his mind immediately went to.

_'She just… there's so much to her. She's so nice when you get to know her. Actually good when push comes to shove. She kicks more butt than anyone else I know… And she's one of the most beautiful people in all of Ooo. Gosh, there's just so much… wait.' _Finn interrupted his own train of thought. His hands stopped moving and he stared dead ahead out the garage door, towards the seemingly endless grassy horizon. _'Why am I thinking about Marceline so much? I just saw her, for the first time an months, and she's been the only thing I've thought about since I left her house. I couldn't'… oh Glob.'_

Finn's arms went limp. The whet stone slipped from his grip and dropped to the floor. The sword fell unsupported into his lap. He just sat still, a blank, stupid look on his face as realization dawned on him. _'I think I'm crushing on her.'_


	5. Chapter 5

_'I think now's about as good time as any.' _Marceline thought late into one evening. She'd been planning for this moment for some time now, deciding how exactly she should go about the next phase of her plan. Eventually she figured it would hardly matter at this point how she handled Finn, the only remaining question being the timing. Of course, being cuddled up close to Finn as she was now was certainly compounding her desire to move things forward. _'Let's see just how far he's willing to let things go.'_

It was a very calm night following a lazy Saturday. Once again, Marceline found herself with Finn in her company as the two lazed about her house. She had some soft rock playing on her radio and the two were happy to just sit and enjoy themselves. Finn was leaning back into the corner of her couch, his back lodged in the corner between the armrest and back cushion. One leg of his was lain straight along the couch while the other hung over the edge. Marceline was happily resting against him, her back on his chest and her head laying on his right shoulder.

Although she kept about her an air of calm, she had to repress an absolute giddiness she had been feeling in recent days. It'd been over three weeks since he had first come to her of his own accord, and since then he'd been coming with increasing frequency, now arriving most every other day. And of course, with every visit he willingly made, Marceline took her opportunity to force him under her spell and reinforce the ideas she'd been steadily implanting in his head. The results were more and more obvious with each visit. He already thought himself to be smitten with her; that would have been obvious to her even if she wasn't actively engaged in seducing him.

His visits to her were becoming longer as well as more regular; he was starting to crave having her attention more than anything else. He had become much more submissive. He let Marceline control everything the two of them did together, never once arguing or even offering suggestion of his own. He started to act as love-struck as he had once around Bubblegum or even the Flame Princess. His gaze lingered on her when he thought she wouldn't notice. Any time they made eye contact, he'd break out in a blush and turn away nervously. And she herself was certainly starting to give off more obvious signals. She made much more physical contact, brushing hair out of his face or rubbing along his arm, and Finn of course received them with obvious pleasure. Every night their time together ended, she'd send him off with a peck on the cheek or forehead, even that had become enough to all but strike him dumb. By this point she could even curl up to him in such an intimate position, and he'd simply accept her actions as totally natural.

The level of his indoctrination had become sufficient that she felt comfortable finally making a… much less subtle move on him. With every visit so far, she'd taken appropriate precautions to assure he wouldn't remember her more illicit actions. Although she hadn't fed from him since the first visit, admitting it necessary (however unpleasant) that he be allowed to replenish his blood, she had continued to administer small doses of her special 'medicine'. She'd changed the amount he received to ensure he wouldn't pass out overnight with every visit but would still fall into the trance state and become susceptible to her ideas. At the same time, she continued to inject him with her own natural toxin, a task that had proved especially difficult considering she had to constantly restrain herself from taking any fluids while her teeth were locked into him.

Now, Marceline felt like the unconscious druggings may be close to becoming unnecessary. It seemed Finn was ready to become far more… accepting of her gifts. She could hardly contain herself, but she managed to just keep from cracking her measured persona.

"Say Finn, mind if I ask you something?" She questioned, keeping her voice somewhat meek to uphold the illusion.

"Go ahead." He said rather calmly. That was good, she thought. Things would go far easier as long as she kept him relaxed.

"We've become… pretty close, over the last few weeks, haven't we?" She asked, almost sheepishly. Despite her purposely acting skittish to put Finn at ease, he himself seemed far more nervous than her, a large blush becoming evident on his face.

"Well, uh… we definitely… I mean, I guess…" He stammered uncomfortably. But as seen as he looked down he saw Marceline looking up at him with an almost pitiable anticipation, prompting him to collect himself and answer her in the right way.

"Ye…Yea. I guess we have gotten pretty close lately." He said, though still pretty unsure of himself.

"So, if I were to ask… how much would you say you trust me?" Marceline questioned him, her tone suggesting a subtle yet evident seriousness to the situation.

"What do you mean? Of course I trust you; you're one of my best friends." Finn made no hesitation this time. No matter what else he felt, he had always trusted Marceline as much as he would even Jake.

"Would you trust me enough to… to put your life in my hands?" She spoke even quieter than before.

"…" Finn had to take an extended pause, needing the time to fully grasp the severity of the question, as well as decide how best to answer.

"Marceline… I'd put a knife into my own heart if you told me I'd be fine… If my life were really in your hands, I know you wouldn't do anything to let go. I know I'll… always be safe as long I'm with you." He spoke with such sincerity that Marceline was almost willing to believe he would've said that before this whole crazy thing had even started.

But she soon realized that the past didn't even matter at this point. This was how he felt now. Even if it wasn't his choice, his doing, these were his real feelings, and he could do little to change them. Marceline knew he was ready; he was really ready to start to turn himself over to her completely, consciously, and permanently. She contented herself to sit in silence a little bit, allow the moment to fully sink in for her.

"…I want to do something, Finn. But… I need your absolute consent." She said finally after some length of time.

"Whatever you want to try… I'm game." Finn didn't even need to hear what she wanted, or why she wanted it. He meant what he said, he trusted her completely to do right by him.

As soon as he said that, Marceline began to slowly turn around on top of him, shifting her body so she could lay prone over him, facing him. As her eyes locked on his she noticed his face light up several shades of red while a visible gulp ran down his gullet. Despite how embarrassed he clearly was, she saw he refused to, or maybe was incapable of looking away from her eyes.

"This is… something I can only do with my closest friends." She started, as quiet as ever.

Marceline leaned in even closer to Finn, forcing their eyes apart as she leaned over his shoulder. Finn didn't really have any idea what she was doing, but so long as it involved her pressing so tightly against him he was not about to question her, let alone complain.

"I've been told it's a very soothing experience." She whispered against his hat, where she could only assume his ear was.

That was all the explanation she was willing to give him; she was far beyond ready to let her actions speak for her. Finn certainly seemed to have no reservations in letting her do as she pleased. Finally, with everything set to Marceline's liking, with Finn open and ready to accept whatever she would inflict upon him, she let her jaw slowly begin to drop. As her mouth opened wide her fangs began to unsheathe, lengthening far beyond what any sane person should consider comfortable. Finn couldn't see what she was doing, but she could feel her start to breathe more heavily over him, his skin becoming warm and moist under her breath.

"Trust me." She whispered one last time, barely loud enough for Finn to catch.

At last, the moment came. Marceline bit into Finn's shoulder, slowly, as steadily as she could. Despite how familiar the sensation was becoming for her, she still absolutely relished in this almost ultimate sacrifice of his. As soon as she had clamped down her venom began to spill into his veins. She had to be sure Finn drew as much pleasure from this as she did, if not more. She wanted him to only ever associate good feelings with her. He needed to understand what he'd be rewarded with once he left his old life behind for her. Once she felt he was thoroughly flushed with the drug, she let the flow reverse, sucking away his blood for her own comfort.

* * *

Finn had no reason to suspect Marceline would do anything so utterly strange to him this night, making the impact of her action resonate extremely deep within him. The utter shock he felt as soon as he realized she had actually bitten him was nearly enough itself to send him into oblivion. But that accounted for barely a fraction of the feelings that were overflowing from him.

The bite itself felt nothing like he would have ever expected. There was absolutely no pain at all. It didn't feel so much like a predatory action to him as much as a caring embrace, a warmth that began to slowly spread from the injection zone throughout his body, carried all over along with his blood. His muscles slackened absolutely beneath the vampire, his pulse slowed alongside his breathing. Even his mind seemed to relax at the creeping touch of Marceline's embrace. It was more than just that; it was as though she herself had entered his head, and was pushing out all the bothersome and tiring little thoughts and worries that would have burdened him in the slightest, leaving behind only nice thoughts and fuzzy feelings.

_'It's…so… nice… Marceline's… so… nice…' _He had no reason to consider anything but her at the moment; she'd become his whole world for the time being. The softness of her form outside his body, the warmth she was pouring into his system, the tickling sensations she was slipping into his skull, everything she did came together for him in such a pleasurable way, one he never could've dreamed possible before.

Yet even besides all the nice, comforting sensations he was being graced with, another idea began to weakly show at the edge of his conscious. Everything he was feeling now seemed just the slightest bit familiar. If this had occurred to him at any other time, it would've struck him as odd, maybe even troubling. Yet as he was now, he was incapable of finding a reason to dwell on this thought. There was no need for him to dwell on things that caused him to worry, not when Marceline was being so generous to him.

* * *

Being a thousand year old vampire, Marceline didn't typically adhere to the idea that "all good things must come to an end," yet in spite of herself, she knew Finn would likely be approaching his limit, and began to slow the flow of blood. Eventually, only a trickle of the vital essence reached her throat, and she went about the delicate process of vacating her fangs from his flesh. They slid out easily enough, the small remainder of blood creating two small stains on his shirt where he had been bitten.

A dark grin broke across Marceline's face in realization of what she had accomplished. _'It's really happening! Finn just let me feed from him! He chose to!' _A tingle went up her spine as it sunk into her that her young friend was slowly being subjugated to her will. Finn's will had already been irreparably changed, and that meant he could be warped as far as she wanted. She had accomplished everything she'd hoped for tonight. All that was left was to see how Finn was handling the night's events. She leaned back to catch sight of his face. He was panting heavily yet silently, and though his eyes were open they couldn't seem to focus on anything, even her.

"How're you holding up, Finn?" She asked him, a hint of playfulness in her tone, but still quiet enough to suggest she was genuinely concerned with his feelings.

"Marcy… that was… unbelievable…" He stammered out between ragged breaths.

"I had a feeling you might enjoy that." She said knowingly.

"Marcy?" He started, his tone strange, as though compounding nervousness with the exhaustion he was already feeling.

"What is it?" She said through a smile. She was really coming to love that pet name he had come up with for her.

"Th… thank you." He said with an honest smile.

"Oh, believe me Finn, it was ALL my pleasure." She said, her more teasing nature beginning to show through.

She noted Finn was looking pretty tired now. He was obviously way more aware than he was following previous sessions; he'd likely remember the entirety of the night, in fact Marceline was counting on that. But that didn't mean Finn wouldn't still feel the physical toll a bloodletting of this sort would bring. She loved to see him in this sort of state. Weak, helpless, totally at her mercy. She knew she was moving ever closer to being able to do whatever she wanted to him, whenever she pleased. To prove her point, she curled back into Finn, laying her head under his chin and clinging tightly to him. Finn only sighed in contentment.

"I think maybe I should… get home…before I pass out." He said weakly, though clearly reluctant to leave Marceline's warmth.

"Just stay the night. It's already late." She said almost sleepily herself.

"Jake'll get mad." He said while his eyelids began to grow heavier.

"He'll get used to it." She replied, unintentionally alluding to her intent to continue this new arrangement.

Finn, though, apparently didn't catch her meaning, or perhaps had already reached the same conclusion. In any case, he offered no more thoughts on the matter. Actually, it was almost a relief to him for her to simply tell him not to go home. But, then again, that was what tonight was all about. He made the ultimate gesture to her to prove that he trusted her unconditionally. _'I'm so lucky I've got someone like her to watch out for me. Maybe I should just consider letting her make all my decisions.' _Finn may have thought this in a joking manner, but he would soon find out how absolutely enticing that idea really was.


	6. Chapter 6

The midday summer sun was beating down on the landscape mercilessly, discouraging the vast majority of Ooo's inhabitants from any extended stay out of doors. Jake wrinkled his nose in discomfort as he closed the last window of the tree fort, sealing out the suffocating heat. He had always been extremely grateful to whatever mysterious figure had designed the construct. The building had been ingeniously designed to create an optimal climate within its' walls, regardless of what the weather was outside. Jake had never troubled himself to find out by what mechanisms the house achieved this, only concerned with reaping the benefits.

Jake certainly had no plans to leave the only habitable space for miles around, and was totally fine with just vegetating for the duration of the day. Plopping himself on the couch, he heard his brother stirring in the upper floors. Expecting Finn would be sharing his mindset that day, he paid the human little heed as he descended the ladder to the main floor. However, instead of lazily rooting himself on the couch beside Jake, Finn surprised the dog by heading right past him in the direction of the front door. What was perhaps most strange was the overt sense of purpose with which he seemed to move.

"Alright, I'm going over to Marcy's." Finn said in passing to Jake, not even bothering to stop or even spare a glance at his brother.

"What, again? Hey hold up a sec!" Jake said immediately jumping up from his spot and moving to intercept his younger sibling.

Finn seemed almost perplexed by Jake's sudden intervention, not understanding why he'd feel the need to stall him from visiting Marceline. Jake noted the look of utter confusion on his face. _'He's going over to Marceline's again?' _Of course it hadn't escaped him how much time he'd been spending with the enigmatic vampire queen lately. It had gotten to the point where it almost seemed like he was spending more time on her than anything else. And Jake had no idea what to think about the situation. _'What exactly is going on between them?' _

"What is it dude, I'm gonna be late." Finn said insistently.

"Dude, chill. It won't kill you to be five minutes late. Just talk to me for a sec." Jake said to Finn, voice betraying an almost pleading tone.

"Mmmmm, fine. But can we please make this quick." He replied, following a displeased groan.

"…" Jake took a moment to just give Finn a look that he couldn't quite read.

"Well… Dude, what is it already?" Finn said, losing his patience.

"I don't know man, it's just… it's like I've hardly seen you lately. You've been spending more time at Marceline's house than with me. Seriously dude, what's up with you lately?" Jake voiced his concern.

"Nothing's 'up' Jake. I just like hanging around Marceline. She's actually been staying around lately, so I just thought it's been nice to actually chill with her since she's not off traveling all over the place." Finn justified his actions, still not understanding why Jake was acting so strangely.

"You two aren't… like…" Jake trailed off, but it was obvious Finn had followed his insinuation as his face brightened.

"Wha… NO! Don't be ridiculous, Jake. We… we're just friends, alright. FRIENDS!" He all but screamed in embarrassment.

"Mmm hmm." Jake hummed, raising an eyebrow. _'Finn seems pretty defensive. He couldn't really be…'_

"Look dude, I'm telling you nothing's up with us. I just like hanging out with her, okay? Can we please just drop this, please?" Finn begged.

The kid was obviously super uncomfortable, and Jake couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. _'I guess I did kind of put him in an awkward position.'_ He figured he may as well let Finn off the hook; he probably wouldn't get anything else out of him today. Jake released a weary sigh.

"Sure, Finn. Go on, get out of here." He said, ushering him away.

Finn didn't hesitate, immediately turning and running out of that terribly awkward situation. Jake had nothing left to do but slink dejectedly back to his seat. Despite Finn's mood having remained largely positive for the last few weeks, Jake had been finding more and more cause to be concerned with his little brother. Despite Finn's promises to treat himself better, his health hadn't seemed to recover in the slightest. He looked truly awful. Jake hated to admit this, but the only other people he'd seen like Finn were addicts suffering from withdrawal. Jake could draw the parallel, but he refused to think Finn had gotten himself involved in anything like that. He just didn't think the boy capable of anything like that.

And then there was the whole mess with Marceline. Jake really had no good idea on how to handle the situation. On the one hand, it sure seemed like Finn's attitude had been improving as long as he'd been spending time with her. But then that begged the question of exactly how 'close' the two had been getting. Jake didn't want to, but he was starting to believe Finn, maybe not even conscious himself, had started to pine after the demonic monarch. And this thought honestly frightened Jake more than anything else. He was afraid that if Finn pursued this path yet again, he'd find heartbreak a lot faster than he had with either Princess Bubblegum or Flame Princess. He didn't even want to imagine what that would do to Finn's mind.

Jake wanted so badly to protect his brother from his own bad ideas, just get him to realize there was more to life than just finding a girlfriend. He wanted things to go back to the way they used to be. He just wanted Finn to be happy. But at the same time he knew he couldn't stop Finn from doing these things. He was practically a grown man now, and as much as Jake hated the idea, he had to accept that Finn's life was really out of his control.

* * *

After the rather embarrassing encounter with his brother this morning (relative to his mess up sleeping habits), Finn was extra anxious to get to Marceline's house as quickly as he could. The questions Jake had brought up had made Finn far more uncomfortable than he would've expected. He did his best to push the argument out of his recent memory. He succeeded, for a while, but only by consciously blanking his mind for the duration of his walk. He didn't really become aware of his surroundings until he found himself at the mouth of the cave. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep his thoughts at bay permanently, and the sight of his monstrous friend's abode immediately brought to mind thoughts of the lovely young vampire. But, as soon as she started swirling in his head, Finn couldn't help but continue to dwell on what Jake had been suggesting earlier.

Jake was one of the last people he wanted pondering the relationship he currently enjoyed with Marceline; but hearing Jake say it made Finn question their status himself. _'What exactly is the deal between us?' _Thinking comparatively, it was no longer a doubt that the relationship between Finn and Marceline had changed. But whatever had happened occurred so gradually and felt so natural that he apparently never stopped to question how far things were moving. Maybe he was just too afraid to define what they had; after all, if nothing else, Finn certainly couldn't deny that he enjoyed Marceline's company. Really, really enjoyed it, actually.

The whole while he dwelt on this, he never stopped moving closer to the house, muscle memory pushing him ever forward despite his mind being a jumbled mess. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the wooden door and his fist was tapping on the side. In a short while, the door opened for him, revealing the smirking face of the vampire he was becoming far too familiar with. Finn flashed a nervous smile of his own, but before he even had the chance to say 'hello,' Marceline had wrapped him in a tight hug, and lifted him off the ground. He let out a slight squeak as she spun him about in a half circle, placing him back down within the confines of the building.

"You're late," She teased.

"Yea, sorry." He offered meekly.

She only giggled in response, kicking her door closed behind her and then floating past him into the room. _'Why'd I take that so seriously?' _He idly thought as she watched her attention turn away from him. Marceline had already started to ascend to her room, and he had followed her up the ladder without a second thought. Picking up his lost train of thought in their brief respite, Finn continued to dwell on their undefined relationship. It occurred to him that any third party who observed them would find their behavior far too familiar to call them just friends. He hadn't been with her for a minute yet and that was already obvious. The way she'd just grabbed him without a word in such an intimate grasp, the way she just left him with no direction, fully aware he already knew to follow her; no one could believe the two were 'just' friends.

Without a thought on the matter, Finn had seated himself upon the old couch in Marceline's room, and before he could offer an objection, or invitation, she had set herself down on his lap, relaxing back into him as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Finn almost found cause to become embarrassed, but soon realized that what they were doing had become natural. They had literally been doing this for weeks, so Finn couldn't understand why he was now suddenly starting to feel self-conscious of the matter.

He had no idea what Marceline thought about the whole ordeal, or if she even thought there was one, but his concerns were becoming more and more pronounced in his head. _'Seriously, this isn't normal for friends. People don't just cuddle up to people without even asking unless they're… but we're not!... Are we?... I mean, I know how I feel, but there's no way she could feel the same… could she?I guess, she does kind of keep me around her a lot. And, she does seem pretty comfortable… cuddling, with me. And then there's the thing with the… the biting. We never did any of this before… before I started coming here so often. So what changed? Did we somehow become…' _Finn suddenly realized that he had been trembling the whole time, and Marceline had clearly taken notice since she had leant away from him enough to crane her neck back and give him a questioning look.

"Uhh, hey?" He said, smiling pathetically and looking obviously conflicted.

"Uhh, hey." Marceline replied in a mockingly idiotic voice, poking fun at his unexplained nervousness.

"What's the matter with you? That sugar withdrawal finally starting to hit?" She asked, though in an obviously unconcerned, joking manner.

"N… No. Jake took me off the stuff but I just sneak some when he's asleep." He explained.

"So then what's with the mini-seizure? Not that I'm really complaining, I always wanted a massage chair." She continued to make light of Finn's discomfort, but her words only served to keep his mind on the situation between them.

Finn didn't feel he had any choice at this point. He'd already been caught in his embarrassing thoughts and figured that lying now would only serve to further his own insecurities. One way or another, he needed things set straight between them before his thoughts could wander any further, and before he started believing things that weren't really happening. Of course, doing so would mean putting everything he had with Marceline at risk. If he put her off, he didn't just risk losing everything that'd been built between them in previous weeks, he could completely alienate her. Finn couldn't even bear the idea of losing Marceline; not after already all but losing Flame Princess and Bubblegum.

"Marceline, I… I need to ask you something and I need a straight answer!" Finn tried to tread carefully, but only managed to blurt out his words, revealing with them his extreme anxiety for whatever it was he had been dwelling on.

Marceline raised her eyebrows in mild surprise, but otherwise made no other motion, clearly waiting on him to ask whatever it was he needed to. Seeing he had her attention, Finn let out a long sigh, collecting his nerve enough to bring himself to ask the question.

"What… what exactly are we, Marceline?" He finally asked, in an almost fearful tone

"I don't think I follow." She said, having all but lost her playful demeanor.

"Well, I mean… This! All of this, Marceline! Where exactly are we headed with all of this?" He didn't know why he was practically screaming at her. This wasn't exactly a simple matter, but he didn't think he'd be as panic stricken as he was. He continued, attempting to keep his voice more steady, but still sounding distressed.

"It's just… With us hanging out all the time, sitting like… This, with you… so close to me, and… And the… 'Other' thing we've been doing. I just… I have to know where this is all going." His voice grew steadily quitter until the very end.

Marceline just sat looking blankly for what felt to him like the longest time. If it were possible, he grew even more anxious under her constant gaze. It was her piercing red eyes. Normally they made him feel so calm, but now they only served to strike a constant terror in his heart. The worst part was that in both cases, it was because he knew that those eyes were able to see right through to his core, right into the darkest depths of his mind. _'Why is it so easy for her to read me when I can't even guess what she's thinking?' _He let out one final sigh.

"…Look, Marceline. I'm sorry if I made this weird. But I just need to know if…" Finn never got a chance to finish as she sealed her lips against his own, effectively silencing him.

Finn squeaked in his chest from sheer surprise. The kiss lasted only a few seconds before she pulled away, too short a time for him to really grasp what had happened. As he sat beneath her, utterly dumbfounded, he could only look upon her face. For her part, Marceline looked as confidently devious as ever, that same nearly sinister smirk curling her lips.

"Answer your question?" She said quietly.

"…I…" It was obvious Finn was totally shell shocked by what she'd just done; his babbling inspiring a giggle in his counterpart.

"Thought so." She said with finality, moving again to take him in another kiss.

Finn's head went totally dark, barely capable of making sense of what had just, was still transpiring. Marceline had fully moved to straddle his lap, like she would to feed from him, but now she had caught him in an even more intimate position. His arms went around the small of her back, pressing her closer to him. Subconsciously, Finn ceased any reservations he had, any hesitation, and committed himself fully to the embrace. _'I… can hardly believe it.' _He realized that none of this felt wrong to him, or unnatural, or strange in the slightest. Everything she did to him, beyond what was happening now. Everything she did, every unannounced embrace, unasked for feeding, this unforeseen kiss, it all just felt right to Finn. He felt like he had nothing to hide, nothing to withhold from her. Everything he had to offer was hers to take.

When Marceline finally broke the kiss, she did so at the great reluctance of Finn, who mumbled lightly in protest. Hearing the small sound of displeasure sent Marceline into another fit of light laughter. Finn however, felt less jovial. He personally felt relieved, he supposed. His fear had proved all for naught; Marceline had reciprocated his feelings seemingly tenfold. As she giggled unceasingly above him, Finn just dug himself further back into the couch and clutched her as tightly as he could. He figured he'd let her feel the high from these new revelations, he just wanted to keep the warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest as long as possible.

When finally Marceline had calmed down, she shrunk down over him, curling as close as possible into his form. She nuzzled her face into the top of his chest, her hair tickled at his throat. It seemed she was just as happy as he was to settle down into each other and just bask in the happy feelings shared between them. Finn was certainly not about to make a move to discourage her.

"So I guess we're doing this then, huh?" Finn whispered above her.

"Yeah, it's happening all right." Marceline answered.


	7. Chapter 7

"All right man, good deal. I'll see you in the morning then." Jake finished with a smile, settling down into the drawer he'd made his bed and almost instantaneously clocking out.

Finn watched him pass out, a feeling of relief washing over his chest. Several weeks had passed since he and Marceline had made official their relationship. Despite having made peace with himself and his new girlfriend, the kid had yet to inform his brother of his budding relationship with the vampire, or anyone else for that matter. He couldn't really rationalize the reason, simply having a gut feeling that it would be better to keep the reality of his relationship a secret for the foreseeable future.

Not that that had proved to be particularly easy for Finn. It was hard enough explaining to Jake his reasons for hanging around Marceline so often before it'd become an official thing; now Finn was constantly under pressure to explain away himself. But Finn understood that Jake had only really brought up the issue in the first place because he was feeling neglected. So to help ease Jake's mind, the two had started going on a lot more adventures in recent days, much like they had when the two were much younger. In all honesty, Finn had found some relief himself in returning to the grind with his brother; it always felt nostalgic and right, helped to ease his mind.

But the extended action was definitely taking a heavy physical toll on Finn. With half his week taken up by Marceline, Finn had to spend nearly the entire other half out with Jake, equating to almost two or three adventures a week. That would have been exhausting enough on its own, but the evident decline in his health that he had initially made light of was made things all the more difficult. His body was constantly tired if not outright fatigued, and mustering up the energy necessary to carry out his heroic duties was becoming more and more tiring. Add to that, Marceline's fondness for taking his blood further increased his physical weariness and always made his head at least a little foggy.

It was difficult, to be sure, but Finn was constantly reminding himself that it was worth it. To keep his best friends happy, he'd gladly push himself to his very physical limits; after all, he always had a little extra energy to spare. Right? He wanted to believe he was capable of shouldering it all, but as things became ever more difficult, his doubt slowly increased as well. Tonight, for example, he had just agreed to go with Jake to check out an abandoned fortress out in the badlands. Just a few weeks ago, the anticipation would have kept him up all night from the sheer excitement. And while he was certainly looking forward to it, the thought now came with the knowledge that going out tomorrow would be tedious, tiring, and he'd ultimately end the day feeling utterly wiped and otherwise terrible.

Finn thought back to earlier in the day. As per what was becoming his normal schedule, he'd spent the odd day with Marceline. She usually fed from him about every week and a half now, today being the chosen day, and today Finn swore she'd seemed even hungrier than usual. He couldn't deny himself, he just felt utterly drained. Yet even with the knowledge of how difficult that would make tomorrow for him, he couldn't help the smile that worked its way onto his face at the memory.

Thinking of adventures just made Finn feel tired, but thinking of the time he spent with Marceline made him feel relaxed. Just the simplest thought of her sent a feeling of warmth and comfort through his blood. Idly, he thought back to the time he'd felt such infatuation for the Flame Princess, or even Bubblegum. Even though at their respective times, thoughts of those two filled him with a similar emotion, what he felt for Marceline was incomparably greater than his feelings for the two combined. She was almost like… like a drug. She slithered in his veins and made him feel so good, so elated. Whenever he was with her, he just felt as though all things were totally right the way they were. Picturing her face in his head was the best way he had ever known to end the day, like she was there with him, lulling him to sleep, easing all the troubles from his mind, casting a comforting blanket over his eyes and casting him into a restful void.

* * *

_…_

_ "…Sit Up…"_

_ …_

_ "…It's all for me…"_

_ …_

_ "…Everything's gonna change for you…"_

_ …_

_ " …(Heavy panting)… YEEP…"_

_ …_

_ …You…Are…Mine…"_

* * *

Finn awoke the next morning unbelievably bleary. He looked to the clock that was mere inches from his head on his nightstand, finding it difficult to focus even on something as close as that. After several long seconds, his vision cleared enough to see the numbers, but it still took several moments more for his mind to start moving enough to actually make sense of them. _'9:04… Really?' _That would explain why he felt worse than he usually did in the morning. Somehow he'd managed to awaken a couple of hours earlier than what had become his usual time.

"Finn? You actually up?" Came Jake's voice, seemingly from the void. Once Finn's head actually caught up with the surroundings, he realized it actually came from the ladder entrance to their loft.

"Unnngggg, I guess so." He replied, extremely groggily. Despite his brother's lack of immediate enthusiasm, Jake was smiling as soon as Finn responded verbally.

"Well then come one bro! Grab your gear and let's hit the road already; we'll grab some b'fast while we're walking." He cried up as he began stretching his legs back down to the main floor.

Finn groaned at length as he strained every muscle he had just to force himself out of the bed. Everything would be easier once he was on his feet, but finding the motivation to get that far was proving tedious enough already, and the day hadn't even started yet. _'Oh yeah. Gonna be a good one.' _He thought sarcastically. A relative eternity later, Finn was standing on the cold wood and grumpily pulling away his nighttime attire. When finally he had dressed himself in his usual clothes, Finn hopped on the ladder and slid the length to the floor below.

"Up and leaving already, Finn. That is so early for you." Finn caught the voice of his little robotic roommate as soon as his feet hit the boards.

"Believe me, you don't have to say it for me to know that." He said, making it obvious how tired he was still feeling and walking past the computer.

"Oh, Jake is waiting for you outside. He said to me 'BMO, tell Finn to hurry his lazy bones and stop wasting our day.'" It stated, mimicking Jake in a much deeper voice that really sounded nothing like the dog in question. Finn let out a yawn.

"Right, right. Thanks BMO." Finn said blankly before turning away and dropping down to the entry level.

He reached towards the hook on the wall where his backpack and sword were usually hung, but found them missing. He raised an eyebrow, briefly confused as he was certain he had left his affects here. _'Hmm, guess Jake must've grabbed them already.' _Shrugging the thought off, he simply made his way to the door and opened it to the wider world. Bright morning sunbeams immediately assaulted his still quite weary eyes, momentarily blinding the poor kid. _'Geez, I feel like everything around me 's just trying to make me feel like crap.' _

"Hey, hurry your buns up already! We got a lot of ground to cover if we wanna get to this place sometime today!" Jake was already up on a hill a short distance away, and shouting down to Finn.

Even from this distance, he could see his green backpack laying by the dog. Presumably, the sword would be laying there as well. Grumbling under his breath. Finn began slowly jogging up the grassy slopes to meet up with the yellow bulldog, who stood shouting motivational words down to the young man below. Finally Finn crested the hill, immediately bracing himself, doubling over with his hands on his knees and breathing embarrassingly heavily. He glanced up to see Jake barely containing himself from bursting out in laughter.

"…And what… exactly… is so funny?" Finn demanded between ragged breaths.

"Uhh, besides you? Seriously, you ran like, a hundred yards. There's no way that could've been that hard, especially not for you." He said, almost sounding astounded save for the evident joviality in his tone.

"Yeah well… I seem to recall… you having as much trouble… that time you lost you powers." Finn fired back, pointing a finger at Jake.

"True, but I wasn't used to stuff. You've been at this game for how many years now?" He continued to toy with the boy.

"Are we ever gonna get going, or are we just gonna sit here while you make fun of me all day?" Finn said in agitation after regaining his breath.

"Yeah yeah. All aboard." Jake said smugly as he turned away from Finn.

The dog then leaned down to stand on all fours. With his front paws on the ground, his rear end lifted into the air and began to elongate. Just as Finn had shouldered his pack and sword, he felt Jake's body snake between his legs and lift. As Finn was raised into the air, Jake's entire body began to grow, engorging until he was the size of an elephant.

"All right dude, next stop, the fortress of unforeseeable evil." Jake said with a grin before breaking out in a sprint towards their destination.

* * *

As Jake trudged through the sandy wastes, Finn finally had a moment to himself, and alongside that, time enough to sort through his thoughts. Specifically, he could question all those strange dreams he'd been plagued with all night. _'What was up with those?' _They'd been so strange. Usually, his dreams tended to be far more… substantial. They played out as stories and scenarios that, no matter how odd they seemed, all tended to be perceived by him in real time. The dreams he had last night were much different. _'It wasn't even like those things were happening to me. It was more like I was remembering them.' _A brief moment of external stimulation brought Finn's attention back to the real world.

"I think that's it up ahead." Jake called back.

At the sound of his brother's voice, Finn's eyes were drawn to the ugly, grey structure far ahead of them that seemed to be drawing closer and closer. As the two approached, Finn was able to make out more of the structure. It was not exactly in line with what he had been expecting. When Jake told him about the 'fortress,' he had pictured big stone walls, turrets and battlements. What lay before him looked more like the skeletal remains of an old, pre-war office building. It was certainly not the first of its kind that Finn had seen, but that didn't mean Finn wasn't a little disappointed. Generally, these things weren't usually that interesting, scarce playing home to more than just rats and skeletons, and not even the undead variety.

On top of all that, the instance before him was the worst he'd ever seen. Most of the building had collapsed off to one side, completely obliterated into a pile of rubble. Only the first floor and maybe a few rooms on the second survived. Finn didn't think there would be much of anything interesting in there. _'Maybe I should actually be relieved.'_

"Oh what? Dude, Flambo told me this place was crawling with crazy baddies. Man, this is what I get for taking him at face value." Jake voiced his own displeasure upon finding their dungeon to be just some random wreckage.

"Well, we came all the way here. May as well check the place out." Finn said, figuring it'd be just as good to kill some time.

Actually, the more he thought about it, the more appealing it seemed. A total dungeon clearing escapade just sounded exhausting to him. A little light exploration sounded like it'd be a good alternative. He got to rest, Jake wouldn't be disappointed (by him), and it would kill a good portion of a day he would've otherwise just spent doing nothing.

Once the two were standing right before the cement walls, Jake began to shrink back down as Finn dismounted into the sand. Looking over the building up close was even less impressive than seeing it from a distance. No glass remained in the window slits, nor did anything cover the doorway. This meant the two had a clear view into the structure. It seemed standard enough; many maze like walls and total blackness where exterior light couldn't reach, just as with almost every other similar building they'd checked out. In preparation, Finn reached into his pack and pulled out a flashlight. Flicking it on, he led the way into the building. Just stepping foot inside kicked up a big cloud of dust behind Finn. Jake was directly in the line of fire of the dust cloud, and instantly started hacking and choking.

"Egghh… Eghh… Eghhh… ACHOO! Aw man… I'm gonna snuff Flambo for making us come out to this dump." Jake threatened the absent flambit.

"Oh lighten up, will ya. Not like this is the first place that turned out to be a bust." Finn attempted to ease his aggravated brother.

Taking hold of a door handle, he attempted to turn only to find the handle would not cooperate. A shook it vigorously, but the small bulb would not give way. It didn't feel like the door was simply locked; it felt more like the whole mechanism was busted. Lucky for him, he had the perfect tool for the job.

"Jake. Door's busted." Finn said simply as he stood off to the side.

"Gotcha." Jake replied, equally as flat.

The yellow bulldog cracked the knuckles in his right paw before growing it to a massive, threatening size. Drawing his overtly muscled arm back, he threw his giant fist into the ancient door. The wood splintered easily under his strength. With the way open, Jake moved to let Finn in first and shine a little light in the pitch black room. Sweeping the walls revealed the room itself to be completely barren. The back wall, though, drew their attention.

"Well… that's not something I was expecting to find." Jake said as he gazed upon the back wall.

"No kidding." Finn responded.

Before the two, constructed into the wall of the building was a massive industrial elevator. The thing would have been odd enough on its own; a lift of its size clearly did not belong in any normal office building. But the large, solid metal doors were half opened, and what lay inside was even stranger still. The two approached the elevator, and cautiously entered its rather spacious confines. When they were both inside, they noted that a small dull bulb was actually on inside, but did little to dissuade the dark, so Finn shined his light around to help, finally stopping the beam down on the curious thing lying on the floor, and both adventurers bent over to get a better look.

"What do you think it is?" Finn pondered aloud.

"Looks kinda like an old robot. Cept… It's like broken." Jake responded.

"Or it was never finished." Finn offered.

Beneath the two's gaze lay on odd, clearly mechanical device. Jake was correct, the device in question was obviously a robot of some sort, but it was evident that it had not been active in quite a long time. The basic structure of it was almost skeletal. It had an incredibly skinny body, and quite humanoid in appearance. The thing didn't look very durable, like it had no outer plating, just exposed joints and wires and a bare-bones skeleton. The head was the only thing the most finished. Unlike the rest of the body, it was sealed in a solid metal shell, with a dull red glass visor clearly taking place of eyes.

Jake's eyes wandered from the robot up to the walls of the elevator, falling upon a brass, numbered panel just to the side of the door. A small orange light was on at the very top of the panel. If nothing else, it indicated that at least some power was still running in the place. And if power was on, then the elevator might still be working.

"Hey Finn. Feel like heading in a little deeper?" Jake questioned the human. Upon meeting Finn's gaze, he nodded back to the panel.

"I don't see why not." Finn said with a smirk.

Stepping over the robot, Finn came up to the panel. There were only two buttons, labeled "G" and "B." He rationed that the "G" must have stood for the ground level, and that "B" would probably indicate the basement. He pressed his finger to the basement button. They could hear ancient clockwork and gears grinding and creaking behind the walls, brought to life after a millennia of sleep, complaining all the while of their disturbed rest. The doors shuttered and eventually closed most of the way, but couldn't bridge the last foot or so. Even so, the elevator began to slowly descend, bringing the two hapless heroes down with it. Unknown to them, the simple press of the button had had an unintended side effect. They hadn't simply activated a lift, they'd sparked life across the entire building. As the elevator had awakened, so too did the rest of the office, and down in the basement below, ancient life rose from its slumber, ready and awaiting the two intruders.

* * *

A minute later, the elevator halted its progress, and slowly opened heavy doors as wide as it could. Finn shined the light through the opening, but that proved to be not entirely necessary. The elevator immediately led into a large hallway. Scuffed white tiles lined the floor, having become dulled and cracked over the millennia. The walls too, though probably once white, peeled and showed serious signs of deterioration. The lights were on, but only barely. The power still clearly worked, but the light fixtures themselves were obviously not in the best condition, and could only provide a very low light, enough to see but not without straining the eyes. Finn decided it was enough for him to not risk wasting his flashlight, and put it away in his pack.

The young man took the first few steps into the hall, his brother following suit and coming up to walk beside him. The two could see that the hall was lined with a few old wooden doors, however they were all splinted or had collapsed in, and the rooms beyond them were totally filled with debris; completely unreachable. As they made their way down the hall, Finn couldn't help a feeling of suspicion begin to rise. He had experience with all manner of ancient ruins, and this place certainly didn't feel like a normal office complex. _'It feels more like a hospital; or maybe a lab? Definitely not something that belongs here, though.'_

Coming to the end of the hall, Finn led the way, turning to the right and continuing down an identical hall. The two had only taken a few steps when they heard and unsettling noise ring out from somewhere deeper within the complex. They immediately stopped where they were, straining their ears to try and hear more. A few similar sounds accompanied the original before the halls fell silent again. The noises did not sound natural. Not organic, that is, more mechanical, like whirring circuits and rusty cogs.

"Hear that?" Jake questioned, already fairly certain Finn was aware.

"Yeah. Couldn't place it though. Any ideas." Finn replied.

"No. All these walls made it too hard to tell where it came from. Or what even made it, for that matter." Jake said.

"I'm starting to think this place might not be as dull as we were thinking." Finn said, taking on an air of caution.

In preparation, Finn reached back and pulled his sword from his pack, keeping it ready at his side should it turn out they weren't alone in the tunnels. Feeling mildly safer, he began walking down the hall once more, much more alert than he had been before. The two wandered the halls for several minutes, finding every room they passed had been sealed shut. Noises continued to ring out at random intervals, seemingly growing louder the further in the two got.

Eventually, they reached a corner bend in the hall. The hall continued to the right, but just ahead of them was the first door they'd seen that appeared perfectly intact. The hall continued just a few feet to the left, ending in yet another usable looking door. A loud, metallic sounding clang rang out, close enough now to cause both adventurers to jump. Unfortunately, thought they could tell it was close, they still couldn't pinpoint where it had originated. Not wanting to be caught from behind, Finn decided they should divide and conquer. He tapped Jake and his shoulder silently nodded to the door on the left. Jake nodded and went over to check his door. Finn, meanwhile, walked to the door just before him.

He heard Jake's door open and the sound of the small dog padding into the room. Finn took hold of the handle on his door, giving a few firm twists, but was unable to open it. It was clearly locked, so Finn threw a shoulder against the hardwood experimentally, not putting his full force behind it. The door didn't budge, so Finn took a step back to examine it. _'This one's not busted or rotten or anything. I don't think I'll be able to bust open this one.'_ Momentarily forgetting Jake and the other door, Finn turned to the other hallway and took a few steps before he stopped dead in his tracks. He threw a hand to his head as something hit him like a ton of bricks. But the pain wasn't physical; it was like something powerful had just shot itself from the core of his brain and impacted off the side.

* * *

'_!' Finn tried to scream, but some sort of strange pressure sealed his mouth shut. He didn't understand what had happened. He thought he had been asleep, but a sudden pain suddenly shot through him, like someone just stuck a knife in his neck. 'Oh no, oh Glob, someone's trying to kill me!' Panic stricken, he reacted like a wild animal, thrashing about dangerously, trying to strike out at whatever had attacked him. But something forceful pressed down on top of him, making it nearly impossible to move with any sort of haste. 'Have to… need to… fight… fight?... f…' His movements began to slow and eventually cease altogether. He was becoming very relaxed; a rather surprising thing considering someone was trying to murder him. His muscles went totally weak beneath the perpetrator. Somehow, things didn't seem so threatening any more. A haze began to cloud his thoughts, but not in a frightening manner. It was a nice dull, fuzzy feeling. Pretty soon his whole body was feeling that way. Finally, whatever had seemed so intent on restraining him relented. They released their hold, but now Finn was in no hurry to do anything to fend them off. Something finally came into his field of vision. He could've sworn he recognized who it was, too._

* * *

"FINN LOOK OUT!" He heard Jake say, bringing his attention back to the present.

He turned his head just soon enough to see another robot looking over him with its' arm raised. It appeared almost identical to the one they'd seen in the elevator, but the visor on this one was glowing an intense red. Finn didn't have the presence of mind to even raise his blade, so it was lucky for him that Jake was a lot faster on the uptake. Before the machine had a chance to do any damage, the magical dog had shot his arm out from his spot back at his door. He wrapped his hand around the side of the robot's face and forcefully shoved it against the wall. He pulled the robot back and slammed it against the wall again, and again, and again. Finally, Jake released his grip and the robot crumpled to the floor. The sounds of wires burning out and gears grinding to a stop emanated from the downed device for a few seconds before the light in its' visor died out, and it fell silent.

"Dude, what happened!?" Jake demanded, looking incredulous as he approached Finn.

"Oh, uh, sorry. Guess I got distracted. Thanks for the save there." Finn replied.

Jake eyed him suspiciously. He looked like he'd just seen a ghost; all nervous and alert, but not in the way the current situation would warrant. As Jake considered inquiring further, Finn seemed to look past him, to the doorway he'd just come from.

"Did you find anything." The boy asked, facing the door.

"Huh, oh. No, the room was totally empty. What about you?" Jake asked, deciding to just leave the previous thought behind. Finn seemed to only now notice that the door beside them was open.

"Oh. No, actually I couldn't even open the door earlier. It must've been locked from the inside." He stated.

"And the robot must've come from in there." Jake finished his brother's thought.

Exchanging knowing looks, Finn started to cross into the mysterious room, Jake following. The room was actually mildly brighter than the halls had been. The two looked around, but there wasn't much to see. The room was fairly lengthy, and decently wide. Another door lay on the far wall, but the room seemed otherwise empty.

"Well it's bigger than the room I was just in. But it doesn't look like there's much more here." Jake voiced his thoughts as a started walking along the left wall.

Finn, though, caught something that Jake missed. He started to move to the right wall. Just behind the door, a section of wall was missing. There was no structural damage, rather it seemed the wall was designed to come away, like a sliding door. A small space the size of a normal closet was inlaid in the wall. But it didn't appear to be any old storage space. There was some sort of mechanical rigging set up in the space, almost looking like a giant metal ribcage, with several wires and plugs hanging from the 'spine.' Finn took a few steps closer.

"Hey Jake, come check this out." Finn called out to the dog behind him.

"What's that?" Jake replied, looking back from his spot.

But just as he started to make his way over towards Finn, the door they had just come through slammed shut on its own. Jake stopped where he was and both boys immediately looked over to the source of the noise. Finn immediately ran over to the door and pulled desperately at the handle; it wouldn't budge.

"Uh, Jake?" Finn said worriedly, his hand falling from the handle.

"Yeah?" Jake replied, also starting to sound rather creeped out.

"We might be in a tight spot here."

As though fate had been waiting for Finn to say something like that, the room started to fill with the terrible mechanical sounds that had been plaguing this place. Both Jake and Finn jumped away from the walls as they started to open, sections being revealed like the one Finn had discovered. Like that one, these 'closets' had identical riggings, but these ones were not empty. Each 'closet' contained a single robot in the vein of the two they'd already seen. As the two heroes worked their way to the center of the room, standing back to back, Finn started to take stock of the situation. He was not going to get caught off-guard again. _'Okay, looks like there's… eight of these things on one wall. Probably means there's eight on the one behind me, too. That's sixteen… no, fifteen. One was already empty.' _As the visor on each robot lit up to a brilliant red, Finn's face broke out in a smirk.

"Only fifteen shoddily built robots against the two of us. I think we've gotten in tougher fights just walking through the Candy Kingdom." He said, feeling the adrenaline start to flow.

"Think you can manage the ones on your wall if I get these?" He continued.

"Only if you can stop daydreaming long enough to actually put up a fight." The dog retorted.

The bots began to disentangle themselves from their ports; Finn readied his cleaver-sword. They started to approach him, and he could hear the one's behind him moving closer as well. They shuttered towards him rather slowly, but Finn didn't let that lower his guard. _'Jake caught the other one before it really had a chance to attack me. I still don't know what these guys are capable of.' _As they got closer, Finn actually got a good look at the arms of the things. Each one had a razor of clearly considerable sharpness running the length of the forearm, as well as a short spike running out the top of the hand. Finn didn't know if he had somehow missed those features on the previous two, of if these had simply just now revealed them. Either way, they'd make things just a little more interesting.

The robots were close enough now that Finn felt he ought to make the first move. He side-stepped to the far left of the group, thinking it best if he could keep from getting surrounded. _'Hope Jake gets the same idea. I can't really look out for him right now.' _But he knew the magical dog was more than capable of handling himself. Coming to a halt, he now stood with his back to the original wall, and had all of his opponents in a line before him. The robots weren't as quick to follow as he had been expecting, and he had the first chance to strike. He threw his sword out and the edge cleaved through the robot's arm at the joint, removing its own weapon. When his arm reached the end of its arc, Finn threw it back again in the opposite direction. The blunt end crashed violently into the head of the robot, sending it tumbling to the ground. He watched it squirm around, but though it still appeared to be active, it seemed incapable of recovering.

By this point, the other bots had finally caught on, and were once again advancing towards Finn. They seemed to have some basic tactical intelligence, as they attempted to spread out again and surround the young hero. The two closest Finn approached to striking distance in tandem. The one on his right lashed out with the spike, attempting to stab him. Finn parried with his blade, the mechanical arm sliding off it to his side. The other one wasn't about to wait for its cohort to be destroyed though, and brought its own arm down in a high arc above Finn. He was faster though, and was able to bring his sword up to guard and caught the arm. Out of pure instinct, he threw a fist against the side of the left bot's head. Even though the thing recoiled sporting a sizable dent on its head, Fin still pulled his hand back in pain. _'Okay. Bare knuckles on solid metal equals bad idea.' _But he didn't have time for pain, and before he lost his chance, he shot his leg out at the other robot. His heel crashed into the device's knee, buckling it and forcing it to the ground. As soon as its head hit tile, Finn brought his foot back up and stomped viciously, crushing the head.

The third robot, which he had previously staggered with a (poorly thought out) punch, was stumbling back towards him. Finn wrapped his left hand around the handle of his blade and savagely swung at the robot's midsection. He didn't cut completely though, but he made it far enough that the bot's spine totally gave out, and its whole upper body fell forward over Finn's sword, clattering to the ground. The machine couldn't take the damage, and its visor fell dim. Finn looked back up to the horde. _'Three down.' _

The five remaining looked like they were aware of what had just happened, and were actively trying to correct for their mistakes. They were staying in a much tighter group, apparently having learned how bad an idea it was to attack only one or two at a time. Finn took his stance, prepared to quickly take out the front-most robot. As soon as the group made a step towards him though, a metal body flew through the air and slammed into the front bot, the both of them landing in a dead pile in one of the closet spaces.

Finn looked over to the other side of the room, almost having forgotten that Jake was taking on nearly as many baddies as him. _'Guess the numbers swapped.' _He thought as the yellow dog flashed him a smile. Before either could get too distracted, though, Jake turned back to his remaining foes, prompting Finn to face the four he had left to deal with. From the looks of things, it'd be a lot more difficult, if not impossible, to get them separated at this point. He would have to take them all on at once. _'Guess I'll just throw myself in there and hope for the best.' _

Finn took a step forward to meet them. All four raised their arms, ready to strike from various directions. Bladed arms seemed to fly at Finn from every direction. Knowing he couldn't block them all, Finn hopped two feet back, narrowly avoiding the various assaults. Three of the robots had swung an arcing blow, but one had thrust out its spike, reaching the furthest of the four. Finn saw the small window he'd been given, and before the bot had a chance to recover, he grabbed at the blunt top of the arm. Whipping his shoulder, Finn pulled back hard on the robo-limb. The machine was caught completely off balance as Finn pulled it away from its brethren, flinging it past himself and to the floor.

Before the other robots had a chance to attack, Finn made a wild move. He acted totally without rationality, abandoning all caution in the hopes of ending everything in a split-second maneuver. It felt like things were moving in slow motion. Finn leapt at the left-most robot in front of him, going high into the air and snapping both feet out in a suicide dropkick. His feet collided with the robot, rattling the dilapidated mechanisms in its head and forcing it to immediately shutdown. But Finn wasn't done yet. As Finn continued to sail through the air, he reached his right arm out. The middle robot did not have the speed to bring its weapon up in time, and the hero was able to wrap his arm around the neck of the machine. As gravity pulled him down just behind the first robot, he brought the second with him. As his back hit the floor, so too did the robot's cranium. Its inner circuitry sufficiently rattled, the robot powered down permanently.

Finn had just destroyed two of the robots in a single move, but the hard landing he'd taken had knocked the wind out of him and left him more than a little rattled. As he struggled to regain his breath, he saw the remaining robot loom over him. This was a bad position he had found himself in. The impact had forced the sword from his hand and caused it to skitter out of reach. He didn't have the time to recover and move out of the way, and the angle he had fallen at left him incredibly vulnerable. As the robot brought its spike down on Finn, he did the only thing that came to mind. He pulled his arm back, dragging the robot he'd just crushed over his chest. The spike dug deep into the skull of its fallen counterpart, but wasn't long enough to pierce through to Finn.

With a second more to get some oxygen back, Finn found enough strength to lash back out at the final robot. Reaching out his hand, he wrapped it around the thin metal ankle of his enemy. Yanking back hard, he pulled the bot's foot totally out from under it. The robot did not fall to the ground, but its balance was seriously compromised as it reeled back, waving it's arms in an effort to stabilize itself, all the while giving Finn his chance to retaliate. While he had the chance, Finn threw the metal corpse off of himself and crawled over to grab his blade. Lifting himself, he quickly faced back down the final robot. Just as soon as the robot had steadied itself, Finn threw a massive swipe, cutting clean through the thin neck and launching the shelled head into the air. The body stayed standing for a few moments before it fell to join the others in final deactivation.

Finn was breathing heavily, but felt a sense of satisfaction wash over him as he watched his final foe hit the ground. He glanced over to his brother on the opposite side of the room, seeing him pile drive his last robot into the ground. A few soft noises continued to sound throughout the room as some of the incapacitated bots continued to scrape about on the ground pointlessly. Finn turned around to see if the door had happened to come unlocked during the melee, but only caught sight of one last robot rising back to its feet. _'Oh, guess I forgot to finish this one. Oh well.' _One robot alone was hardly a threat, and Finn nonchalantly pointed his blade towards it, ready to finally put an end to this game. But his focus was suddenly shattered as another invasive thought ricocheted around his skull.

* * *

_This hazy feeling was becoming all too familiar to Finn, and he had yet to decide if that were a good or bad thing. He wasn't exactly the biggest fan of feeling so helpless, but at the same time the fog provided a different sort of sensation. Sure he was helpless, but the fog wasn't there to oppress him, it only wanted to comfort him. This wasn't anything to be feared, this was a gift, a gift from the presence. Now he remembered, the presence, the one that had at once engulfed him and rescued him from the fog. All it wanted was for him to feel safe and secure. And now he could feel it pulling him out of his stupor again; all it wanted was his gratitude. And why shouldn't he feel grateful? After all, he'd known the presence for so long, it was one of his closest companions for many years. It had simply taken him some time to realize how truly important that person was to him. Yes, of course; his special benefactor, that was the person he… belonged to. And then, as though to make the moment as perfect as it could be, the most gentle, melodic voice whispered to him._

"_Finn? Can you understand me?"_

* * *

Finn shook his head furiously to try and come back to his senses. His vision came back into focus just in time to see the robot thrusting its' blade-arm towards him. He didn't have enough to block, dodge, or do anything to stop the blow. The best he was able to do was twist his torso slightly. He didn't avoid the spike, but he was at least able to make sure it didn't hit a vital spot. Instead, the spike dug deep into the soft spot just beneath his left collar-bone. It wasn't a life threatening blow, but it was an incredibly painful one, eliciting an agonizing wail from the stricken hero.

"FINN!" Jake screamed as he saw the horrible machine land a sickening blow on his brother.

But before Jake could come to his aid again, Finn retaliated. His body moved almost solely on fury. His right arm, still hanging at his waist and clutching his sword, drew back a short ways before he vengefully shot the weapon forward. His aim was extremely precise, and the blunt head smashed into the knee-joint of his assailant. Instantly, the robot's legs buckled and it collapsed one last time to the floor. As it fell, its' spike was crudely torn from Finn's flesh, sending a fresh jolt of pain through his nerves. But he just grit his teeth, quite eager to return the favor. Raising his cleaver-blade high over his head, he brought the edge down savagely on the bot's skull. The metal split under the force of the invasive wedge, the lens shattered into red dust and any semblance of consciousness or autonomy that had been inside that machine immediately ceased to exist.

"Glob dude! Are you alright!?" Finn was shaken from his blood rage at the sound of companion's concerned voice.

He looked over to see Jake scramble to his side. As soon as he was close, the bulldog had stretched himself up to match Finn's height and was fretting over the gaping red hole at his shoulder. Even the lightest brush of the dog's paw was enough to cause the young man to wince terribly and suck in air sharply.

"Man that looks bad. Stay still a minute while I patch you."

After he had said that, Jake reached into Finn's back pack and retrieved several first-aid supplies. A few minutes later, the wound had been sealed with gauze and secured with several bandages wrapped around Finn's torso. After the dog had backed off, Finn tried moving his left arm. He had no problem actually moving the hand or lower arm, but found the attempting to lift his whole arm at the shoulder caused too sharp a pain to tolerate.

"Just take it easy. That looked like a pretty nasty wound, I think we'd better cut our losses and get out of here." Jake said in a very concerned tone.

"Yeah. That might be for the best." Finn agreed, but not solely for the new wound he was sporting.

Really, the scratch was the least of his worries. What was of a far more immediate concern to him were these thoughts that kept attacking his brain, leaving him totally vulnerable and which were completely beyond his ability to stop. He didn't know what was causing them, or what they were even supposed to mean. But one thing was clear, this was certainly not a safe place for Finn to be sorting out his mental issues.

"Come on, come on, come on."

Finn looked over to see that Jake had gone back to the door they'd come through, but apparently the thing had not come unlocked as they had hoped. Apparently, the canine had had enough frustration, and simply decided to break down the door. Growing his fist, he began pounding on the door, but to the shock of both adventurers, the door did not give. Eventually, Jake had no choice but to give up, shrinking his hands back down and rubbing at the now very tender flesh. While his brother recovered from that episode, Finn switched his attention to the other end of the room, having remembered that there was another door on the opposite end. Jake observed as he began to walk towards their only other hope for escape, and silently began to follow. Once they'd both reached the other end, Finn placed his hand on the handle. Cautiously, he turned. Relief flooded him as he found the handle gave way, and opened to a new corridor.

"No way but forward, I guess." Finn said, sounding rather tired.

"I guess." Jake said, pantomiming his brother.

Neither spoke as they began to wander the new set of halls, the mood had been totally ruined. Jake felt far too concerned for his brother's safety to take any more pleasure in this adventure. Finn, besides having to deal with his exhaustion, now had to worry about these brain episodes, both what they meant and how they affected him physically. Neither were really too concerned with the actual prospects of adventure any longer, now only wishing to find a way out of the situation.

* * *

Nearly an hour had passed and both adventurers were beginning to grow quite weary of the whole complex. After passing through the 'trap' room, the corridors had become even more labyrinthine and complex, branching off in uncountable directions and containing hundreds of pointless rooms. The duo occasionally ran into a small group of patrolling robots, but no more than two or three at a time, no match or even real challenge for the two seasoned heroes working together. Both felt the sense of immediate danger slowly recede the further in they got, only to be steadily replaced by exhaustion and boredom. The whole dungeon crawl was beginning to grow very tedious.

Finn's eyes were almost to the point of glazing over. Walk, break robots, repeat. That was what this had become, and it was definitely taking its toll on the kid. The space was becoming too cramped down here. The air was stale and reeked of metal and singed wires. Everything was so dull and repetitive it threatened to lull him to sleep. He needed an out from this dreadful situation. But his mind once again decided to spit a painful picture against his cranium. This one came even harder than before, actually staggering Finn. Letting out a pained gasp, Finn dropped his head and threw a hand to his face, losing his balance and tipping over to lean against the wall.

* * *

_Something was clearly not right. He was… he was supposed to be asleep. Alone. He was sure he was. But then, why did it feel like someone was there with him. Jake? No he had left, he was sure. He felt something raking through his hair, soft yet sharp. And then he felt something press down on top of him. Not a blanket, it felt more like… another person. That wasn't right. No one should've been handling him like this._

* * *

Coming back to the waking world, Finn groaned in an attempt to suppress the pain, shoving himself from the wall and waving around unsteadily.

"Finn, what is happening with you?" Jake pulled away his attention momentarily.

Finn cast a quick glance to the dog, barely noting the look of extreme worry on his face, before looking back down the hall. Something was odd about this one. No more random side doors lined the wall of this one, and it didn't seem to split off into any other paths at the end. Rather, there was just a single door at the end. It didn't look extraordinarily different from any of the others he'd seen, save for some small discrepancy on the face, like a black rectangle, but he was too far to get a good look.

"Nothing. Come on, something's just up there." Finn said back to Jake, sounding rather curt.

"No, something's really wrong with you. You keep zombing out and looking like someone hit you in the head with a bat." Jake said, finally taking on his authoritative older-brother voice.

"I just need to get out of here." Finn said in extreme annoyance, or maybe extreme discomfort.

He didn't wait for Jake to talk again, instead beginning to stagger down the hall. Whatever was going on in his head was becoming more and more pronounced. It felt like something was… coming to a head. But he didn't know what exactly that would entail. Whatever it was could be incredibly bad, maybe even totally knock him out. He couldn't allow that to happen to him here. He needed to get out of this place before whatever was coming occurred. And the only thing he could do was press on and hope that a solution presented itself.

He began to approach the door, and could at least now tell that the strange spot on the door was a label, but he still couldn't read it. But as soon as he came close enough to make out the lettering, his vision began to blur and the pain split his head again. He all but stopped, only taking short, shambling steps forward as he pressed on his skull.

* * *

_This was definitely not something he'd ever experienced before. Whoever was there with him now had entrapped him in a position he was somehow unable to escape. But given what was happening, he wasn't sure he necessarily wanted to. It was hard to tell anything in his state, he felt as though he were trapped in his own body. Nothing responded as it should have, he couldn't move a muscle, and his senses were incredibly dulled. But even as he was, it would've been hard to mistake what was happening. Numbed as he was, he could feel something wrapped around his member. Soft, sharp, like slender fingers. He understood that this was not something that should be occurring, not something someone else should be involved with. But it was hard to rationalize that thought when whoever had him at their mercy was only working to make him feel such an intense pleasure, one he'd never before felt._

* * *

The thought went fuzzy for a few seconds, but the pain didn't lessen any. Finn stumbled forward a few more feet, colliding with the door and being pushed back. He continued to clench his head as the thoughts became more solid, clearer.

* * *

_He thought before he'd never felt such an immensely satisfying sensation, but now that feeling had been amplified a hundred-fold. Something enticingly warm, wet and tight had been wrapped around him, squeezing and pulling in the most delightful ways. Something heavy was laid across him, but soft and lukewarm. It rubbed along his body, the friction adding to his already almost overstimulate senses. Finally something came over him, like an eruption from deep in his core, a feeling he couldn't possibly try to explain with words. After that, everything came to an almost haunting stillness. He tried as hard as he could to see past the haze in his eyes. He had to know who had so selflessly shared such an amazing thing with him. He thought he could almost make them out, he was sure he could recognize them…_

* * *

Finn suddenly found he had his forehead pressed against the door, which was supporting almost all his weight. His arms hung limply by him, his sword just barely resting in his fingers, the tip of the blade resting as uneasily on the ground as he was. He was short of breath, hyperventilating against the wood. When he finally had settled enough to retake control of his body, he slowly slumped back, away from the door. The small black rectangle lay just before his eyes. _'Master Control.' _

"…Come on. I bet… there's a way out… through here." Finns struggled to get words out.

Not only was he short of breath, it felt like it was just becoming harder and harder for his mind to form the right words, and he couldn't shape his mouth to make the correct sounds. He felt something furry wrap around each of his arms and gently pull him away from the door a few feet. He watched as Jake stepped in front of him and retracted his arms to their original length.

"I'm going in first. You stay back and let me handle anything dangerous. Whatever's going on with you is getting worse and I'm not letting you get hurt. Don't worry, I'll get both of us out of here and then get you back home safe." Jake assured his younger brother.

The dog seemed to have finally accepted Finn was unable to act, and had fallen back to his overprotective brotherly ways. He would handle everything from here on out, and wouldn't hear any argument from Finn. Taking hold of the door handle, he paused for just a moment, trying to listen for any indication of danger behind the barrier. He didn't hear anything, but was not willing to take any chances. Jake threw the door open and leapt into the room, scanning all about for any remaining robots or any other dangers. He sighed in relief when it appeared that there was nothing here immediately threatening to kill them.

With Jake seemingly assured of the room's safety, Finn dizzily stumbled past the doorway himself. This room was not very large in itself. Most of the walls were lined with various computer panels, monitors and assorted controls for said instruments.

"This place must control the whole building. And I bet all the security too." Jake pondered aloud as he walked around the room.

Finn noted that less than half the monitors were even on, most showing black screens or were outright damaged beyond working capability. Even of the ones that were powered, only a few showed anything other than static. The rest seemed to be security feed from the halls they'd just been wandering through. Many keyboards, buttons and other control panels were lined all long the underside of the screens. Hopefully from here they'd be able to do something that could help them escape, open a secret tunnel or shut down security and unlock all the doors.

"Try to… to find a… someth…suh… ah… AGHH!"

Just as Finn tried to explain his plan to Jake, one last wave hit him. This was by far the worst one of them all, like his whole mind finally decided to snap in half. The pain was intolerably excruciating, and Finn let out a truly horrendous scream as he dropped to his knees. It felt like there was an intensely high pitched whistle ringing right in his ears, and he clapped his hands to the sides of his head. His eyes shut tightly as this last assault wracked his brain.

There was something decidedly different about this attack, though. Previously, he'd felt as though he had lost himself in a dream state, totally checking out from reality as the ideas were driven in his head. But that didn't happen now. Finn was still completely aware of his surroundings as a multitude of thoughts, words and feelings seemed to explode from out of his subconscious. There was so much he didn't recognize, strange occurrences, sinister happenings, malicious commands and at the forefront of it all was one clear idea. _'Marceline.' _

Finally Finn understood. Everything that'd been slowly leaking into his mind, the dreams he'd had, the visions he'd suffered, they WERE his memories, buried deep in his subconscious. For whatever reason, something had cracked the lid that was sealing these memories away, and they slowly began to escape into his mind proper until the damn bust and everything came rushing at him at once.

_'Marceline… She's… She's been toying with me… Trying to… brainwash me.' _Finn couldn't make sense of it all. He couldn't possibly conceive of why she did this to him. He'd thought he'd fallen in love with her, but was that just her plan, to make him believe that? She'd violated him the worst ways possible, both his body and his mind. Finn was feeling so many things at once he didn't know what to express. He could only cling to one thing that stood just slightly above the rest, complete fury.

Jake was unsure of what had just happened, and even less so of what he should do. His brother had just collapsed in agony, but now he just sat on his knees, utterly silent, and looked dejectedly at the floor.

"Finn?" Jake approached cautiously, speaking as gently as he could. Finn did not respond.

"Finn, please say something. Let me know your still in there." Jake spoke as he knelt by Finn's head.

The young man managed to slightly turn his head towards Jake, just meeting him out of the corner of his eyes. Jake was unsure of the issue, but Finn had absolutely no idea how to react, what to do. _'I… I have to talk to her.' _He didn't know how things would play out from here, but one thing was certain; he had to confront the vampiress.

Finn slowly rose to his feet almost mechanically. It was spooky how steadily he moved, given how he'd been drunkenly staggering about mere moments ago. He looked totally expressionless, and was starting to make Jake feel truly frightened. What had been going on in his head? Slackening his shoulders, Finn just bent his head to one side, releasing a vicious crunch from his vertebrae.

"I'm… I'm okay Jake. Let's just find way out of here."

It was obvious Finn was trying to keep his voice measured, but Jake could still sense an undercurrent of sadness behind his words. But the dog figured it might just be for the best to agree and look for an exit.

Walking to a random control panel, Finn had his first lucky break all day. At the edge of the metal surface was a conspicuous yellow button. The label below read 'emergency tunnel release.' That certainly sounded promising, and Finn pressed down on the button. A few seconds later, Finn turned his attention to a noise emanating from the only small section of wall that didn't play host to computers. The wall slid away, just as it had earlier to reveal the security devices. But instead of a bloodthirsty robot or skeletal looking rigging, there was only a ladder that simply led up. Finn began to make his way towards it. Jake said nothing, just following his brother to what would hopefully prove to be their escape.

As Finn ascended the metal tube, he had only one thought on his mind. He would return home, let his body recuperate, and the next day he would storm to Marceline's and demand an explanation. After that… he couldn't decide what he'd do. He yet had time to sort all his feelings out, and he guessed he'd need every minute of it to come to a conclusion.


	8. Chapter 8

_'Well… here I go… I guess.'_ Finn was standing at the entrance to the all too familiar cave, looking over the home of his alleged "girlfriend." Just the thought of that word put a sour taste in his mouth. It'd not been a day since he'd been inundated with a wave of suppressed memories that had insinuated his vampiric friend in a very malicious plot against him. Now that he'd had some time to dwell on these revelations… well, he still had no clue what he was going to do.

He let a sad sigh slip as he forced himself to start moving towards the house. He had come to get an explanation from Marceline, that much he was sure of. But the end result was still something he hadn't decided on. What would Finn do after confronting her? Would he leave to never see her again? Would he accept an apology? Would Marceline even offer an apology? He didn't even have a clue as to how she would react. Would she break down and beg his forgiveness? Would she grow angry, perhaps even violent towards him; or worse?

Whatever happened, it would certainly depend a great deal on Finn's feelings, which he himself was still majorly conflicted over. In his heart, he couldn't deny that he still felt a great deal of love for the undead Queen. But just as strong as that was the anger he felt at the thought that that feeling might just be completely artificial. Coming to the door, he couldn't bring himself to knock against the wood. He only stood still for several long moments, holding his fists by his sides, clenching his fingers painfully tight. _'Just… Breathe… I just need to hear what she has to say… then I can make my decision.' _Finn did his best to steel himself; his body stiffened uncomfortably and his breaths became quick and sharp. Finally, he worked up the nerve to announce his presence.

* * *

Marceline had suspected Finn would be coming around sometime today, but the knocking on her door did admittedly take her by some surprise. It was still very early in the morning, and she thought Finn usually wasn't even wake by this time, let alone would've already been seeking her out. She herself had not been awake very long, and had simply been easing herself to full alertness with a book. But as surprised as she was to find Finn at her residence so early, she was certainly not displeased. If anything, she simply thought this to be a sign of Finn further falling to his obsession of her.

Smiling mildly to herself, she set aside her book and began to float over to the door. She opened the door expecting to find the familiar goofy grin that Finn never failed to grace her with. What she found instead was Finn looking very… somber. Her smile immediately evaporated as she read his expression.

"Marceline." Finn said flatly, or rather, as flat as he could manage.

This was definitely not something she had been expecting. As Finn moved to walk into her house, she stepped aside as she always had, but continued to try and read deeper into Finn's mood. There was something much worse than simple sadness behind his expression and hinted in his voice. Finn seemed deeply hurt, maybe even angry. Her first instinct was to find out what had happened to him, having absolutely no thought that it might possibly have something to do with her.

"I need to tell you something… important." Finn turned to her and spoke.

The way he sounded was starting to betray more anger. He looked nervous as ever, but at the same time there was a glint of fury simmering in his eyes. His body seemed tensed, like he was trying desperately to hold back from lashing out. But why did he seem this way? The more Marceline watched him, the more it seemed like… like she was the focus of his anger.

"What's the matter Finn? You look really upset." She asked, honestly having no clue.

"Mar… Marceline… I know." Finn took a long pause, as though more and more anger was bubbling up from his core.

"I know what you've been doing to me." His voice began to take on just the barest hint of danger and his eyes betrayed more and more of his fury every second.

"What I've been doing to you?" She spoke before the implications really slipped through to her. But as soon as she said that, she understood exactly what he meant.

"I KNOW EVERYTHING!" Finn screamed at her, causing her to flinch away from him.

"I remember everything you've done to me. The drugs, the mind control, the… RAPE! You RAPED me Marceline!" Finn had finally let his unfiltered anger show. His eyes were wild and gestured violently towards her.

Marceline chose to keep perfectly silent as Finn let loose everything he had to.

"Everything that's happened between us, everything I thought I felt for you, it was all a lie! You put all those things into my head. You tried to rob me of my will!" Finn's voice cracked. She noticed the steam begin to simmer down as he looked to be losing his furious edge.

"Why did you do this to me Marceline? Why couldn't you have just come to me honestly? Why did you have to take away my choice? I… I could have loved you. If you'd just given me a chance I'm sure I could have loved you. Why did you have to put me… put us through all of this?" Finn had fully broken down now.

His eyes barely held a hint of anger any more. Now she could only see the intense betrayal he felt as they quivered and began to leak tears. His throat vibrated and it was clear it was struggle for him to speak while holding back sobs. When finally he'd finished his speech, all his energy seemed to be spent. He let his arms fall lifelessly to his sides. His knees trembled weakly. All he could do was stare at her with those pathetic eyes silently asking, begging for her to explain herself. _'No, he doesn't want me to explain. He wants me to fix this. He wants this to end with me on my knees, begging to be forgiven. He wants to be able to forgive me. He just wants things to go back to the way they've been going… Hehehehe.' _

Marceline did not break down before Finn. She did not fall to her knees in shame, nor did she reciprocate in anger. Instead, she did the last thing Finn was expecting. She let slip a dark, cruel smirk. And then she started to laugh. Not a playful or raucous sort, but a low, sinister chuckle; the sort Finn had only ever heard someone use in mockery of another. Whatever Finn had been expected, this was clearly as far from that as it could've been. Though it didn't seem possible, his face seemed to fall even farther.

"Why did I do it? That's what you want to know?" Her lips never unfurled from the cruel sneer she wore.

"You think I would've gone to all this trouble just to make you love me? You thought that's all I wanted?" Her eyes gleamed maliciously as she stared down Finn.

She broke down in another fit of suppressed chuckles, rumbling deep from her chest. She took a threatening step towards Finn, who pressed himself back against the wall. He was becoming truly frightened. Marceline did not seem hurt as he'd thought, hoped. She wasn't ashamed, she wasn't angry. She acted almost… giddy. Finn knew she had a tendency to treat everything like a game, but this was not the kind of thing any sane person would take lightly. But that was the rub, Marceline was clearly not sane. She seemed to be taking a sadistic sort of pleasure from his mental torment, his fear.

"I could've caught your eye so easily if that was all I wanted. But what would be the fun in that? No Finn, I want more from you." Her tone was not befit of the situation at all. She almost seemed to speak… seductively.

She continued to approach Finn, who could only cower against the wall. When she was within arm's reach, she started to move her hand towards his face, making as if to cup his cheek. Finn, reflexively, went to stop her. His hand shot up and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from reaching him. Marceline was not dissuaded; if anything, she only grew more amused.

Her hand fell just slightly lower, and she moved closer still. Finn could feel her fingers start to wrap around her neck, the razor tips trailing across the skin, front to back, making him very aware of how easily she could end him right there. He tried to hold her back, force her hand away, but the difference between their raw strength had never been more obvious than it was now. She fully encircled his neck, just putting the slightest bit of pressure on his windpipe, enough to make his situation very plain.

"I want to take your mind. I want to be the only thing that give's your life meaning. I want to be able to snap my fingers and have you kneeling at my feet, and then thank me for twisting your brain into my personal toy."

Marceline's face was just inches from his own. Her red eyes were burning into his own. He remembered those eyes, how they themselves could convey every one of her whims to him, searing them into his head. It was like she could just look at him and bring out every single idea, suggestion and command she'd ever put into his mind. She finally broke the contact, just to bring her face closer to his, putting her mouth right by his ear.

"I want to own you. I want you to KNOW that you belong to me. I want to make it so that you never want to leave my side. So you CAN'T leave me… I want to mark you as mine." She gently hissed into his hear.

Marceline pulled back to give him one last evil grin. Her hand finally slipped from his throat, and slipped down to his shoulder. Soon her other hand rose to grip the opposite shoulder.

"And what better place to leave my mark than on your mind."

She forced herself upon Finn, placing a harsh kiss on his lips. For longer than he'd care to admit, he was quite tempted to simply let it happen. It was such a familiar comfort to him. She was as soft, as warm as she had always been. But even though his mind began to soften, accept her, a spark of indignation surged across him. He snapped his arms up and shoved her away from him. Had she not possessed her powers, she would've crashed to the ground. As it was, though, she simply floated away several feet. She looked back at him, mildly surprised but not obviously upset.

"You… you're sick!... You can't do this to me! You don't have any right!" Finn tried to bring back any semblance of rage her could muster, but couldn't help but seem somewhat reluctant as he screamed at her, like he was more trying to convince himself than her.

Even as he spoke, his body faltered, a more accurate portrayal of his feelings than his words. His whole body shook and his eyes, bloodshot and still wet, glinted with uncertainty. It was clear that despite his actions, it still took his whole mental fortitude to stay his course, to not throw himself on the ground right there and accept his role as Marceline's permanent subservient. He started to stumble towards the door, but his body strained against him, begging him to stay and fulfill the corrupted thoughts that plagued his mind.

"I d… I don't ever want to see you again!... You stay away from me!" His voice trembled, already in regret.

He gave Marceline one last look, she liked to think one of longing, before he left her. She released a short sigh before relapsing back to the relaxed position she'd been in before Finn's visit. While one might suspect that she should've felt concerned, terrified even that Finn had recovered the memories of what she'd done to him, but she did not even feel the slightest unease.

Marceline had already foreseen this as a possible outcome, perhaps not the most ideal one, but she was till fully prepared for this. Maybe Finn had recovered some memories that didn't quite paint her in the best light, but that by no means meant he was out of her grasp. She'd already seen the evidence, even as he tried to rebuke her he still felt her suggestions creeping in his head. He would try to deny himself, but he was already too far gone. She was sure he'd come to his senses soon enough on his own, and return to take his rightful place. All she had to do was wait for him to crack, but then she'd finally have him for her own, permanently.


	9. Chapter 9

"Finn, please man! I just want to talk for a bit. Just open the door and let me in, I want to help you but I can't do anything if you won't talk to me!" Jake shouted as he pounded on the door to the attic.

Unfortunately, his efforts proved exactly as futile as he had been fearing. Giving up his assault on the wood, he dropped his arm and simply stood still for a couple of minutes. The response he had hoped for never came from beyond the barrier; the only sounds that reached him were a few muffled scrapes, taps and the occasional soft whimper.

It'd been almost a week since the two had taken their expedition through the underground complex, the only event Jake could ration had caused this severe turnabout in his brother. It wasn't the adventure itself that held any significance, but rather what happened to Finn during it. Jake had never learned what exactly happened, as Finn utterly refused to explain before simply locking himself away completely. All Jake knew was that something had been wrong with Finn that whole day. Something happened to him, something involving his head. And Jake was utterly oblivious to any substantial details; Finn could have just hit his head as easily as suffered a stroke for all he knew.

That had been the start of this, Jake was sure, but the ultimate effects weren't immediately obvious. Something else happened that Jake had even less information on. The day after their trip, Finn had gone off somewhere without telling him. When he'd returned, something was clearly wrong. His depression had returned, worse and more pronounced than ever. As soon as he'd come through the door, Jake had demanded where he had been. Finn completely ignored him. He simply stumbled mindlessly through the fort, up to the attic, where he had barricaded himself for the past several days.

Jake hadn't seen Finn since then, and any effort he'd made to speak to the young man had apparently fallen on deaf ears. He'd done everything he could think of to try and coax his brother out, from blatant threats to coercion and outright begging. Not once did Finn ever unlock the doors or even say one word to him. As far as he knew he hadn't left even to eat or sleep. Any food Jake left outside the door for Finn had been left untouched. That was the least of Jake's worries, though. At least he knew there were a few old provisions stored in the attic, nothing pleasant but enough that he knew Finn wouldn't starve; or at least, judging from the noises, he hadn't yet.

The real problem was the reason why Finn had sealed himself from the outside world. Jake had only caught a glimpse of his little brother when last he returned home, but even in that short moment he could see the absolute pain etched in his face. Not a physical pain, it was clearly an emotional issue, but even so the turmoil it was causing him was plain as day. He was cut deep, deeper than Jake'd ever seen before.

_'I just don't know what else I can do.'_ Jake was nearing the end of his rope. Whatever had transpired for the young man was clearly beyond anything he'd ever experienced before. What's worse, there didn't seem to be anything Jake could do to help. Finn wouldn't even give him the chance to offer a shoulder to cry on. There was nothing he could do to help. _'Come to think of it, I don't even know what fixed him last time. He just seemed to snap out of it on his own.' _But Jake didn't feel like it would be nearly as simple as that this time. _'And if I'm feeling this helpless, Glob only knows how helpless Finn feels.' _

The wind picked up at that moment, rocking the already unstable rope bridge that connected the attic to the main bulk of the Tree Fort. Jake wobbled momentarily before bracing himself with the hand-holds. He turned his attention out over the horizon. The sky had been gray all day, but now there were some seriously ominous looking storm clouds being blown in their direction. The wind sparked a shiver in Jake, who wrapped his arms around himself as soon as the bridge had stabilized.

He looked back at the attic door, but knew that he wouldn't be getting in any time soon. _'And I really don't wanna be caught in that storm.'_ Sadly, he turned back the other way and began to walk back towards the Fort's living room. A feeling of defeat had been pervading him from the first day that Finn had checked out, and it certainly wasn't lessening at all today.

* * *

The tiresome banging finally stopped and the grating voice that always accompanied began to quiet and ultimately dissipate. The creaking of the rickety bridge boards outside that grew consistently fainter signaled that the intrusion had finally given up again and would leave Finn be for the time.

Finn was well aware what the cause was, it was his brother come looking for him again, attempting to insinuate himself where he had no place meddling. Jake always came, several times a day, attempting to coax Finn out of his hovel, and his response was always the same. He would curl himself as tightly as possible and do his best to shut the noise out. He'd remain in a tight ball against the wall, eyes clenched shut and hands pressed against his ears until the dog would leave and let the silence fall back into place.

And the more times Jake came, the more frustrated Finn would become. _'Why doesn't he get that I just want to be left alone.'_ There was nothing Finn felt his brother, or anyone else, could do to help him; he couldn't so much as understand the weight bearing down on Finn. And how could he? Finn himself couldn't even reason his own feelings for the last several days. That's why he had sealed himself in here…

* * *

_Finn felt numb as he drearily approached the massive tree he had called home for so many years. 'That wasn't what was supposed to happen.' He thought in recollection of the events that had just transpired. It'd been only a day since he had realized the sheer evil that the woman he thought he had loved had committed against him, and barely an hour since he had confronted her with her sins. _

_ Instead of looking for excuses or admitting her wrongs, she had just laughed in his face. She'd come right out and admitted that she had been manipulating and abusing him from the start. And she made absolutely no attempt to hide how much she enjoyed it. He'd been caught totally off guard; the only thing he could manage to do was leave. _

_ And yet, even given all that he'd learned, all she'd admitted to, Finn couldn't help but feel he was the one in the wrong. He was angry, depressed even that she had played him so heartlessly, yet even then he couldn't help but feel a dire yearning to go back and reconcile with her. But then he remembered that any feelings of love he felt for her could well be totally artificial, implanted by Marceline herself, and that only served to make him madder and more depressed. It was a vicious cycle; the angrier he felt the more he desired to be with Marceline, and the more he desired that the angrier he felt. _

_ Opening the door to his home, he was immediately set upon by his brother who angrily demanded to know where he had been. Too many things were going haywire in Finn's head for him to pay much heed to any outside presence, let alone respond appropriately. But saying nothing didn't seem to dissuade Jake in the slightest, as he continued to buzz incessantly at him. _

_ Things were too loud for Finn; there was too much already going wrong in his mind, he didn't need any new problems coming in from the outside. He just wanted to find somewhere quiet, somewhere dark and quiet where he could shut out everything around him and deal with the conflicts plaguing his mind. _

_ So he just started walking, aimlessly moving up the multiple levels. He used what little excess focus he had to think of somewhere he could hide. The attic was the first thing that came to mind, it being the most segregated and secluded spot in the whole fort. He'd ignored the last calls of his brother and made his way there. He barricaded the main door and sealed the escape hatch, locking himself in and all others out._

* * *

All he'd wanted was to crawl away and shut everything out of his head, hoping that all the vicious little thoughts and memories would just leave on their own and lift the burdens away from him. Days later, it seemed to him that this isolation has had the opposite effect.

Instead of lessening, all the terrible ideas that Marceline had forced in only seemed to grow stronger. They weren't just going to fade, they'd only been incubating, simmering, growing more and more oppressive.

Anger had been enough in the beginning to just outmatch those thoughts, enough to keep him away from Marceline, but not enough to overwhelm and destroy the thoughts. And the longer he just waited, the more his anger began to fade away. Now, the only thing keeping him here was terror. He was afraid of his own mind, the fact that it seemed he was growing more and more willing to betray himself. The longer he stayed here, the louder and more appealing the thought of just surrendering himself to Marceline became, and the voice that screamed at him how wrong and unjust it was grew quieter.

He was terrified that he really would lose himself, and all the false thoughts would win out, turn him into a shadow of himself; at least, part of him was. But just like his anger, that fear was rapidly dissipating. It almost felt like his brain had split, and just as half of it screamed at him _'This is wrong! Do something! Stop this before it's too late!'_, so too did the other half try to convince him, _'Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Everything always seems to go well when she's in charge. Just let her take control, at least we'll be happy.' _

A distant thunder clap rolled over the Tree Fort, the walls trembling under the threat of the approaching storm. Finn pressed his hands over his eyes and slammed his head back against the wall, hard. The voices were so loud, he felt like his skull was going to fracture just to relieve the pressure. Lightning struck outside, a brilliant flash that burned right through the thin curtain half-covering the one small window, briefly illuminating the room. The place was an absolute mess. Every surface was caked or smeared in thick dust, dirt or other grime. Discarded food wrappers and half-empty water jugs littered the floor. One filthy quilt was bunched up in another corner, the only bedding Finn had had for the duration of his self-inflicted exile. The place was miserable, exactly as miserable as Finn felt himself.

At the sight of his surroundings, one inner voice began to speak up again. _'Why am I doing this? Why am I choosing to be miserable? Things don't have to be so awful. If I just go back to Marceline…' '__**NO!... CAN'T… FORGIVE!' **_Finn's rationality screamed back, desperate to try and overwhelm the other thoughts. But despite the sheer volume at which it lashed out, the hesitation made it all too clear that Finn's reason had begun to succumb, the last outburst being exactly that, one last desperate cry of defiance.

A light tapping began to sound around the room; rapid little specks of noise signifying the rain just beginning to come down over their roof. The patter grew louder and more frequent as the rain began to fall harder and harder. Another flash of lighting sparked and lit up the room, followed only seconds later by a tremendous thunderclap.

Finn felt exhausted. He was tired of the incessant battle raging inside his brain. He was sick of feeling so utterly dejected. That last cry sent something over the edge in his head, caused a realization within him. He didn't want to put up with this torment anymore, he couldn't bring himself to keep his mental defenses up another second. Even if he lost complete sense of himself, it just wasn't worth it to him anymore to try and keep fighting.

As he finally allowed his resistance to start to fade, he found all the thoughts in his head began to grow less loud and overbearing. A soothing sense of calm began to wash over Finn. His head began to feel… light. Not in the sense that he felt feint, but rather unburdened. With the dull hum of rain bring slowly easing Finn's external senses, he could focus better on his thoughts. Certain ideas immediately came to mind; ideas like where he truly belonged, who truly cared for him, what his purpose really was. It started to feel as though Marceline herself was inside his head, whispering sweet thoughts and soothing words directly into his conscious. And he let them seep in, he was through fighting off what had always been inevitable.

Yet, as Finn finally relented and began to accept the rants he'd tried so desperately to ignore, he began to note some rather unexpected feelings. He had begun to feel a sense of numbing relief for having accepted his fate, but only as far as his mental state went. His body, however, was another story. While his mind had begun to settle into a soothing sort of numbness, his physical self began to grow rather restless. His skin started to crawl, it felt like it was too tight on him. His mouth felt dry and itchy, like a thirst he somehow knew he couldn't possibly quench with water alone. His muscles grew taught and tense, ready to burst if he wouldn't do exactly as he was supposed to. A light sheen of sweat began to form on his brow and his whole body felt warm, almost aglow. His heart beat erratically and could swear he could even feel his blood as it slid threw his veins.

As this unexplained and rather unpleasant energy spiked through Finn, certain thoughts began to surge to the forefront of his mind. He recalled certain words and phrases Marceline had spoken to him at one time or another. _'Crave… Desire…Addicted' _That explained it, Marceline had become a drug to him. This was how Finn's already failing mind made sense of everything. She'd driven her presence so far into his subconscious that she'd become a physical need of his. All he'd done, trying to drive her thoughts out of his head, defying his submission to her, just ignoring her at all, it'd only caused him pain and nothing else. Finn was sick of the pain.

Shakily, he began to rise to his feet. It was not an easy task, his muscles were already very weak from several days of disuse, and the feelings of withdrawal he was now beginning to experience made him feel even weaker, sick almost. Bracing himself against a wall, Finn reached a hand up to scratch at an incessant itch on his scalp. He couldn't quite relieve himself fully, not with his hat in the way, so he tore it from his head, flicking it away thoughtlessly just so he could better reach that itch. The white bearskin fell to the dirty floor, already completely removed from Finn's thought. It wasn't anything he felt any concern for anymore.

The itch was gone, but Finn still couldn't shake the feeling of… of incompleteness he felt. But, for better or worse, he knew exactly what would alleviate all these unpleasant feelings. He had to go to her.

Finn moved to the center of the room. He leant over the trap door situated in the middle of the floor, reaching down to unhook the latch that had kept it sealed for the past week. The door to the bridge might have been the only proper entrance to this room, but it wasn't the only way out. Since the attic was attached to a branch and not the tree trunk itself, open ground was the only thing the trapdoor would lead to. Finn took hold of a rope dangling above the hole, which itself was supported by a pulley system on the ceiling. He took the necessary step and plunged over the edge. The rope served to slow his descent to a safe speed, and he eventually reached the soft grass at the bottom without incident.

He turned off and looked to the horizon, taking a deep breath. The the wind whipped against him and frigid rain began to seep into his skin. Even as he started his journey back to Marceline's lair, he was still filled with a lingering sense of regret and dread. The last vestiges of the resistant voice clung to the brim of his mind, asking to know how he could've given up so easily, how he could live with betraying himself so completely. But these were hardly more than whispers now. These were nothing compared to the misery he had already been in. So he would go to Marceline, he would offer himself and he would likely lose everything short of his life. But even in this knowledge, he continued to make his way. He knew deep down he wouldn't ever be happy again if he had just continued on as he had been, so whatever happened from here on out had to lead to something better.

* * *

Within the treehouse proper, BMO sat near the window that faced most directly towards the attic. Raindrops pounded furiously on the glass, distorting the view and sending an unpleasant humming to reverberate throughout the otherwise quiet fort. The occasional thunderclap would rattle the air and force a bout of shivers from the frightened little computer. For the past several days, it had kept its' vigil, watching over the segregated tree limb and hoping against hope that at any moment Finn would come through the door, down the rickety bridge and back into his real home. But this only served to dishearten it ever more the longer he stayed, watching nothing happen. Not that his over watch could have made much of a difference at the present; the storm was so thick the attic was barely a distinguishable blur against the background.

"What's up BMO?" Came a quiet voice from behind the device.

BMO turned to face Jake, coming upon it with two mugs of some steaming liquid. As the dog came within arm's reach, he handed one cup over to the sentient machine, who accepted it somberly, having to hold the relatively large object with both hands. As a robot, BMO had absolutely no need for beverage, or even had the capability of consuming it. Despite that, the strange creature took comfort in indulging in things like this, pretending to take part in the biological functions it knew perfectly well it could not perform. Maybe it just helped him feel like any other normal person. Regardless of reason, Jake had long ago stopped questioning the computer's actions, understanding merely that humoring it seemed to make it happy.

"Not so much…" BMO eventually replied, even quieter than Jake had spoken.

BMO knew that Jake hadn't really expected anything to have changed with the 'Finn situation,' having just recently failed himself to incite any sort of response from the boy. It figured that Jake was simply seeking some sort of solace in conversing with it. Of course, maybe that was the best thing for both of them at the time.

"Hmm…" Jake hummed, but didn't seem at all surprised.

Jake tipped his mug to his jowls, taking a drawn out sip of the hot beverage. BMO mimicked his action, tipping the mug to its' own face screen, but not so much as to actually spill any of the drink.

"Well… thanks for keeping a watch on him for me. I'm… just gonna be upstairs." Jake sounded exhausted, dead almost.

BMO just nodded to him in acknowledgment. What more could the robot say to ease his tension? As Jake began to shuffle out of the room, BMO kept it's optics focused on him. Jake was having a tough time dealing with the emotional devastation of his, but BMO had to be doubly worried; both for Finn and now for Jake, whose own mental state had begun to tank in the wake of his brother's depression. And if Jake had no clue how to fix any of this, than BMO was utterly powerless to help in any way. All it could do was watch.

So with no other powers at its' disposal, it turned back to the window, back to its' silent vigil, and continued to watch over the dilapidated chunk of house that contained his broken companion.

Time had little meaning to the robot. With neither of his caretakers in their right minds, he served no purpose to them, so what did time matter to him except as a matter of how much life his battery still held, how much longer he could watch. Watch over nothing, just the steady fall of rain on the window. Drip. Drip. Drip. CRACK!

* * *

"JAKE!" A digital voice screamed up from the floor below.

Jake's eyes snapped open and his body attempted to act before his mind could actually take in what had just happened. In this way, all he actually accomplished was falling out from his drawer nearly two feet to the ground. With nothing else he could accomplish that night, Jake had retired to his room to try and catch a little sleep. He was already half-unconscious when BMO's screaming shocked him back into wakefulness. His unceremonious collision with the hardwood served to get him back to full alert. As soon as his eyes stopped spinning, he was on his feet and rushing down the ladder to find out what was wrong.

"What's wrong? BMO?" Jake spat as he brought himself down the ladder.

But before his roommate could even answer, Jake immediately saw what the problem was. BMO was standing by the door to the attic, now open, gazing into a brilliant orange light. The secluded room that had contained his brother was completely engulfed in flames. A total sense of urgency and panic flooded Jake who rushed to the robot's side by the door.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" He screamed.

"A lightning bolt hit the tree! The whole thing went up instantly!" BMO responded with equal horror.

"Well where's Finn?!"

"He didn't come out through the door. I didn't see him leave at all."

"What?! Oh man, FINN!"

Fear cast aside all rationality from Jake's mind, and without waiting any longer he stormed onto the bridge. The blaze had burst so suddenly and with such intensity that not even the rainstorm could douse it. The flames had been steadily inching their way across the whole of the attic, and had just began to eat away at the rope holding the bridge. The decayed fibers stood little chance against the fire, and gave way almost instantaneously. Jake hadn't even made it halfway across when he felt the bridge collapse from right out under him. But years of experience had given him plenty of opportunities to experience freefall, and Jake immediately extended his arms out towards the attic. His fingers grabbed onto the ledge just below the door, and reeled in his main body. With a tremendous grunt, he lifted himself to the level of the door, and in the same instant had thrown a giant fist against the door, launching it clear to the opposite wall. Finally, he landed within the confines of the smoke filled room.

Ash and smoke immediately assaulted him, filling his lungs and eyes. Tears blurred his vision and he began to cough painfully.

"Hccc, hgccc hcc, FIN, cggh!" Jake cried for his brother amongst a fit of wheezing.

His eyes were red and watery, compounding the already obscuring effect of the smoke. Jake waved his hand in front of his face to try and dispel some of the acrid particles. He began to stumble all over the room, searching for any trace of his brother. Eventually, and to his utter astonishment, he realized that the room was totally vacant save for himself. Jake was confused, not understanding how he couldn't have found Finn at all. Had it not been for the blaze, Jake doubtless would have stood there for some time to ponder the mystery. As things were, however, he simply could not take any more of the heat or smoke. As self-preservation instincts overwhelmed his rational thought, he rushed back to the room's opening. Jake leapt away from the blaze, extending his legs back to the Tree Fort's door. He landed with little grace, tripping over himself and rolling onto the floor.

BMO rushed to the dog's side, crouching down over his figure. Jake lay on his back, coughing and retching terribly as tears streamed down his eyes. His fur was matted with black ash. BMO could do little else but rest its' hands on the dog's stomach and wait. When finally he seemed to settle down, the computer spoke up.

"Jake? Where's Finn?" It spoke low, sounded terribly frightened.

"…gone…" He spoke, barely a whisper.

"What? What do you mean gone? How can he be gone?!" BMO's voice started to raise as an entirely new bout of panic struck him.

"…Finn is… gone…" Jake seemed to speak before the full weight of his words hit even him.

As Jake slowly rose up on his elbows, full realization crashed in waves over his thoughts. Finn had disappeared. Without reason and without a trace, he had left him, his own brother behind. Any help Jake had attempted to give had been totally for naught. Whatever had happened to the young man had been far beyond the dog's understanding. He rose back up to his feet, and began to hobble back over towards the door. An utterly unpleasant feeling stabbed at his stomach while he watched the flames totally engulf the attic branch. He'd felt something of the like before; defeat. But this… this was on an entirely different level. This was pure, crushing defeat.

Jake would eventually come to further conclusions. The apparent permanence of his brothers' disappearance. The utter futility of all his actions. The sheer bleak prospect of the future. It wouldn't set in for some time, the soul-devastating loneliness and depression that Finn's disappearance would ultimately cause. But for now, Jake's mind was numb. As he watched the massive tree branch finally fail under the all-consuming flames and crash to the earth, only one thought echoed in the void of his head. _'Finn's… Gone' _


	10. Chapter 10

_'This is it.' _Finn stood at the foot of Marceline's porch. He'd been standing motionless for some time now, just staring at the wooden door. He didn't know why exactly he was delaying himself. Maybe some part of him still hoped he'd be able to talk himself back into reason given enough time. But that chance had long since passed. The temperature had lowered dramatically with the onset of the storm, and a cold gust blow into the cave. Finn brought his hands to his forearms and rubbed, attempting to recover a little heat through friction.

Dejectedly, he began to step up to the door. There was no hope of convincing himself to turn back, and Finn was sick of waiting out in the cold. Bringing his fist up, he'd barely tapped on the door when it creaked open just a few inches. Finn felt a mild sense of confusion, but decided to press forward regardless. He slowly pushed on the door and stepped inside. The interior was surprisingly dimly lit. Candles provided what little light was available, but largely only served to accentuate the shadows of the home. In a less ominous context, he supposed the whole setup could have almost been regarded as romantic. As it was, however, Finn felt this only added an additional eerie sensation to his ordeal.

What struck him as most questionable was not the lights, but Marceline's absence. In almost every other case, she'd always met him at the door. This time, he'd not actually been invited inside, and he couldn't see or hear any other indication that she was even home. Finn was almost starting to think that the resident vampire might not even be home at all. But as he made his way towards the center of the room, he heard the door softly close behind him. He turned about to find Marceline standing just by the door. Shadows danced across her form, masking much of her finer features. But even in the dark light, her expression was clear as she gazed upon him. A wicked grin played across her face and her eyes burned with a look he'd not seen on many other people. It was triumph, but not of the sort he'd shown when he'd defeat a monster and save a village. No, that was the look the monster would have when the hero failed, when the village was burning and the people lay it its' mercy.

Without even bothering to turn, she locked the door. Lifting off from the ground, she began to float over to close the already short gap between her and Finn. She came right upon him, mere inches from his face. She hovered relatively close to his eye level, but kept herself raised slightly above him, just enough that he was forced to gaze up to meet her eyes. Captivating as they were, how could he look anywhere but directly into them?

"I knew you would come." She breathed into his face.

"…Yeah."

There was not much else Finn could bring himself to say. He didn't have to, his presence was a clear indication that he'd given up, that Marceline had won. He didn't have to say it aloud to make it any more obvious.

Never losing her grin, she drifted past Finn and towards the ladder. Finn turned in place, never letting her escape his range of vision. She began to levitate higher, making it obvious that Finn was to follow her to the second level. So he walked over and gripped the handholds, dragging himself to the upper floor. The light was no better upstairs, perhaps even darker if anything. Marceline sat on the edge of her bed, silently beckoning him over.

Finn acknowledged her silent order, and made his way over, taking a seat right beside her on the bed. He kept his eyes down, as though by doing so he could somehow ignore whatever it was Marceline planned to do to him. He knew he was powerless to stop it, but a good deal of fear still gripped him in this knowledge.

He felt Marceline shift beside him and then felt her hand under his chin, guiding him to look up slightly. She held a fizzy drink before him in her opposite hand, gesturing it towards him.

"Drink this." She said quietly.

Reluctantly, he reached out and accepted the cup. _'She probably drugged this.' _He thought, recalling similar instances in their past. Regardless of his concerns, he had little other choice but to relent. He downed the entire drink in a single, drawn out sip. The last few drops hadn't even left the cup when he started to feel the effects. What he felt, though, was not exactly what he'd expected. Finn didn't have a perfectly clear memory of how exactly he felt when under Marceline's influence in the past, but he could tell that something was definitely different this time. He didn't feel tired, necessarily, but very calm, relaxed in both body and mind. Maybe she had used a different sort of drug this time? Or maybe he'd just become used to the drugs. The glass slipped from his hand, but clattered harmlessly to the floor.

"Why don't you come back here?" He suddenly heard Marceline speak behind him.

He realized that she had at some point moved away from him, and turned around to find her kneeling towards the head of her bed, facing him. He blinked hard a few times and rubbed his eyes, feeling something was strange about what he was seeing. He was staring right at Marceline, but there was something slightly off about her. He couldn't actually determine any major difference in her appearance as opposed to just a few moments prior, but he was certain that something had changed.

For some reason, he had become hyper aware of Marceline's actual figure. For the first time that night, he realized just how strikingly beautiful she appeared. Her attire was an ensemble he'd become quite familiar with over the years, and one of the earliest he could remember her wearing. She was just dressed in her old strapless black dress and pale purple leggings, yet there were several things he noticed that made him question how he could have possibly missed these in the past.

Simple little things, like how the purple belt around her torso lifted and accentuated her breasts, just barely covered as they were by the saw-toothed fabric. Or how the hem of her dress fell just a few inches above the tops of her stockings, leaving a tempting amount of thigh exposed to him. And it wasn't simply in how provocatively she was dressed. Her jet black hair fell luxuriously down her back, fanning out behind her on the bed and looking so soft and inviting, like a lovely blanket. Her pale skin, always so cool to the touch, captured the flickering shadows that almost made her flesh itself look alive. Her razor fangs, well, just the sight of those brought intense feelings to Finn's mind.

And then there were her eyes. Deep crimson punctuated by bottomless back holes. Finn could tell just from gazing into them that those eyes held the sum of everything Marceline felt for him. And more importantly, they reflected everything that she had had poured into his own mind. Every idea of love, lust, submission and obedience that swam around in his head was ratified, amplified, and revitalized.

"Well?" She said in an almost too playful tone.

Realizing that he'd been just staring at her for some time, he shook his head to remove the errant thoughts and then shifted his whole body towards the bed. H crawled forward over the soft quilt until he was kneeling just before Marceline. He wasn't entirely sure what Marceline would do to him. Would she berate and torture him for his attempted resistance, or just wipe everything out of his mind, leave his body a puppet to toy with at her own luxury?

He saw her reach a hand out towards him, and couldn't help but shut his eyes. If something terrible really was about to happen to him, he would rather not see it coming. But he was surprised to find that instead of a hostile strike or painfully invasive order, he felt only a gentle hand caressing his cheek. He cautioned cracking open an eye, catching a glance of the woman lovingly rubbing his face. There was no malice, no ill intent evident about her, but a truly sympathetic smile, of all things.

"I understand you're frightened. I realize how much anger, how much hate you must've felt towards me for what I've done." She spoke so softly, completely sincere.

Marceline's hand left his cheek, but only so she could close the gap between them, wrapping Finn in a tight embrace. He felt a shiver go down his spine, but not because of fear this time. Marceline rested her chin on his shoulder, her mouth just be his ear.

"But you know, I didn't do anything just so I could hurt you. You'll see, I did this so that you'd love me, because I can give you the happiest life possible. I'm the only thing you'll ever need. You'll understand soon, and you won't disagree."

Finn could barely even pick up her words, quiet as they were. Even so, he found he really couldn't bring himself to disagree with her. He could feel the truth behind them. Even if it was just the truth Marceline herself had fabricated, it was the truth he had to accept, he wanted to accept.

Finn trembled in Marceline's arms, eliciting a series of soothing sounds and coos from her. _'I guess, this really isn't so bad…'_ There was little point in trying to rationalize anger towards her at this point. Her embrace was soft and warm, her voice soothed and comforted his fevered mind. _'What does it matter that she did this to me?' _Regardless of their origin, Finn's feelings were clear; he needed Marceline. _'Even if it's not my choice, she makes me happy.' _There was no longer anything keeping Finn from acting on those feelings.

Finn's arms slowly crept forward, reaching out for their object of desire, desperate to reciprocate the love which she had already shown him. That one motion was all the more sign Marceline needed. There was no longer any doubt of Finn's thoughts, he'd truly and fully accepted her dictum. He was ready to fully accept her.

Marceline pulled back a bit from him, enough to look back into his face. She just had to confirm what she already knew, and his eyes betrayed the complete acceptance he'd just come to terms with. Now was the time when she would finally lay her permanent claim on him. _'And give Finn what he deserves.' _Marceline pressed forward, capturing Finn in a deep kiss, which he was now more than happy to accept.

All too quickly though, Marceline had pulled away, relinquishing her grip on Finn in the process. Her departure seemed to come as a shock to the young man, who looked almost distraught at her actions, obviously desperate for further contact. But Marceline had no intention of leaving Finn wanting; not now, and not ever again. Still, she could help but chuckle at his display, only further proof of how essential she'd become to him. To ease him back, she put a finger up to his lips, urging his silence.

"I think it's high time I give you a reward for your good behavior." She said deviously.

Lifting herself to the air, she again took Finn by the shoulders, but more forceful this time. In a not entirely gentle motion, she had shifted Finn across her bed so he now sat with his back against the headboard. He did not have a solid idea of her intentions, but courteously allowed himself to be manipulated.

Marceline delicately lowered herself to the bed, laying between Finn's knees and staring up at him with her cruelly playful smile. He could only return with a nervous smile of his own. Lowering her head, she brought her attention to a wholly different part of his anatomy. Confidant to the point of near zealousness, she moved her hands to grab at his zipper.

Finn's eyes grew wide as he suddenly realized just what Marceline had in thought for him. Blood rushed to his face, as much from excitement as embarrassment, as hazy memories of half-forgotten previous encounters resurfaced. He remembered how he'd been used, like a tool, but also remembered how incredible it had felt; how indescribably pleasurable and wicked those ordeals had been.

A soft 'vwooop' sounded before he felt Marceline's hand slowly creep into his shorts. His heart began to pump wildly while he felt her smooth digits take hold of him. By the time she released him from the confines of his clothing he was already fully prepared for her.

Although Marceline could keep a much more measured façade, in truth she may have been even more excited than Finn. She may have had him at her mercy in previous engagements, but what was about to happen today was in a completely different league. Now she didn't just have his body to act as a mindless slave to her lust; now Finn was an active and willing participant, ready to prove with his own power just how deeply he was devoted to her.

And she knew, the sweeter she made the pot, the farther Finn would fall into his obsession. Not willing to delay herself any further, she dipped her head forward, serpentine tongue hanging out of her mouth, and licked him, just across the very tip.

'Heeeehhh.' Finn let out a prolonged gasp as the strangely alien yet almost familiar feeling fleetingly sparked him.

Marceline had barely made a move and already Finn's senses felt overloaded. For her part, Marceline was rather pleased with his response. _'Heh. I wonder just how long he'll last when he's fully conscious.' _Eager to tease him further, her tongue flicked back out, reaching inhumanly far. Displaying monstrous dexterity, she coiled her tongue down and along his entire length, capturing him like a python constricting her prey.

Finn groaned even louder at her action. He felt her tongue begin to writhe and squirm against him. The sensation was one she'd enacted against his own tongue before, but feeling those familiar sensations against a much more sensitive zone was practically surreal. Warmth began to well up in him at the pit of his stomach. And then he felt her envelope him completely. Her lips slid down nearly to his base and her tongue continued its ministrations, now enhanced by the new, much warmer environment. Finn took in sharp breath, not daring to break his silence for fear of embarrassing himself any further.

He had to force his neck to crane down so he might get a look at the temptress that was servicing him. Her head bobbed and swayed ever so slightly, and her great curtain of hair concealed nearly all of her body. Utterly caught up in the inescapably pleasurable sensations, Finn found his hands moving up to Marceline's head, gently entwining her locks in his fingers. This only seemed to spur her on, as she quickened her pace, making vast strokes across the entirety of his member, all the while continuing to lavish her tongue against it.

Finn's breaths became heavier and more labored, his only way of keeping from himself from groaning like an animal, and keeping at least a tiny shred of his dignity left. _'I can't believe… how good this feels…' _

Marceline released her seal on him, deftly bringing her hand up to continue to stroke him onwards while her tongue continued its' work. As she carried on, Finn felt the pressure beginning to build, knowing he would soon reach his peak. _'Should've… broken down… a long time ago.' _He made no attempt to communicate to Marceline, warn her of his impending climax. He was as drunk on pleasure as he was on the chemical cocktail coursing through his veins.

But she was as aware of the inevitable as Finn himself was. She was well aware of the subtle actions, having grown quite accustomed to his body language in her time spent with his mindless self. She made no attempt to stop or slow herself, instead taking him back into her mouth. This was actually her first time performing such an action, this being the first occasion where Finn's feelings actually mattered as much as her own. But she was quite eager to get a real taste if him for the first time, and intended to carry things through to the end.

"Marceline!" Finn grunted as his grip on her tightened.

She felt him release into her eagerly awaiting oral cavity, ecstatic in the knowledge that this was a product of her handiwork. She graciously swallowed everything he'd given her, not necessarily because it gave her any physical pleasure, but because it further cemented the idea that everything that was Finn's belonged to her. She felt him release his grip on her head, and rose to meet back with him. She found him leaning back against the wall, eyes closed and trying to catch his breath. She let out another low, humming laugh.

"Well, that was certainly fun, but…"

She began before leaning back up to Finn's level. Once he felt her breath gently breaking against his face he opened his eyes to find her own staring back and that same, devilish grin. She began to trace a finger up the front of his shirt, enough force behind her claw to leave a notable scratch on the fabric.

"I think it's time you returned the favor."

"Anything." He returned, breathlessly.

"That's what I wanted to hear."

Marceline circled her arms about him and once more Finn felt himself being dragged through the air. This time, though, it was she who landed against the bed and he who lay atop her. This was not an angle he'd been privy to know before, and he had to say, it really provided an interesting outlook.

Being able to look down at the soft body lying under him, whose eyes were eager with a clear lust for him, filled him with a new sense of… duty. He realized, he wasn't just concerned with his own well-being any more. He wasn't just here so Marceline would make him feel better, he desired just as much to reciprocate those feelings, return the vast feelings she'd inundated him with.

_'Now just… uh… where to start?' _Despite all that, he was embarrassed to admit he had no idea on how to lead. It must have shown on his face, as Marceline couldn't help a good-natured roll of her eyes.

"I said, return the favor." She said, emphasizing the latter half.

As she spoke, her hands reached up to Finn's head, pressing down on his scalp from above the luscious roots of his hair. As she began to lightly encourage him down towards the lower part of her body, a spark of enlightenment went off in Finn's head. His face went even redder as he realized what she meant for him to do; to return the favor, in as literal a sense as possible.

Once his face was level with the hem of her skirt, he reflexively began to reach his arms up. Half his mind told his body to move with rushed enthusiasm, the other half tried to paralyze him with anxiety. The mix resulted in jittery, uncertain movements. Trembling hands gripped the edges of her dress. He slowly began to inch the fabric up her body, revealing more and more of her tempting skin. His eyes snapped up to her face to ensure that this was in fact what he was to be doing. Marceline just lay with her head back and eyes closed. With no obvious objection, he had little reason to suspect he was going about things incorrectly.

Focusing back on his work, he hiked the dress up the remaining distance to rest on her abdomen, just beneath her belly-button. A renewed sense of embarrassment hit him as he was faced with his lover's now nearly exposed nethers. A thin pair of silken purple panties was all that protected Marceline from the elements, and those did little to hide anything. A small but easily distinguishable wet spot had formed on the front, revealing the sheer, aroused state that she had been in for some time now.

Despite his total lack of experience (voluntary experience, anyway), Finn was not as ignorant as most thought him to be. Growing up with an older brother like Jake did leave him with quite a bit of, admittedly unasked for, knowledge regarding the fairer sex. He understood what the liquid was evidence of, and had at least a basic idea on what he was supposed to do. That knowledge, unfortunately, didn't exactly inspire a great amount of confidence in himself.

But frightened as he was of making a mistake, he was more afraid of making a fool of himself by doing nothing. _'Here goes something… I guess.' _Breaking through that thin mental barrier, Finn again reached his fingers up, curling them around Marceline's waist. Gripping the light fabric, he slowly began to pull down. He had to bring his whole body back, Marceline assisting his efforts by raising her legs up and back. Now he knelt between her bent legs, her delicates in hand, watching for the first time as she fully exposed herself to him.

Despite his recent release, Finn felt himself began to harden again. He could smell her scent growing headier, more oppressive. Like a pheromone, it just seemed to flick a switch in the basest part of his brain. He was growing restless, the longer he just remained in her presence the more he wanted to just throw himself at her, let his most animalistic self take over. But overshadowing that was an even stronger presence in his mind, the certainty that he belonged to Marceline, and it was her happiness that came before his own.

Certain in that regard, he finally worked up the nerve to lower himself back down before Marceline. His head just beside her nearly-dripping opening, he breathed her scent in deeply, feeling his head swim. He had no real direction, but her request still rang sweetly in his head. _'Return the favor.'_ With no better ideas, he figured he'd just reciprocate her actions as closely as he possibly could.

He stuck his tongue out, much shorter and more blunt than Marceline's, but thicker too. Closing the last small gap, her pressed his tongue at the base of her slit and trailed up along its' length, as slowly as he could manage. Marceline let out a sharp breath. She'd been waiting for this moment for so long, going over every possible detail in her head a hundred times over, but nothing could prepare her for the real, physical feeling of having her long-desired lover worship her in such an intimate way.

Finn heard her gasp and her body reacted in kind, almost seeming to clench up. He liked the effect he had on her, even so immediately. Bravado rising, he set about recreating that feeling for her a thousand fold. He pressed himself as close to her as he physically could, his lips connecting with hers in an entirely new breed of kiss. He poked his tongue back out, feeling Marceline begin to give as the muscle pressed forward into her.

That definitely had a pleasing effect on her, as Finn's actions forced a squeal from her. But he was certain that sound only signaled the pleasure that she was feeling, and was vindicated when she reached down and buried her fingers in his hair, just as he had done when the roles were reversed.

Much more confidant in his actions, he began to wiggle his tongue about inside of Marceline. He may have lacked for experience, but he certainly seemed to make up for that in sheer eagerness, and Marceline wasn't about to complain. Finn was finding more and more quickly that just listening to his natural instincts seemed to be the best thing to do. He felt his arms reaching up to grip Marceline's thighs, giving him a better support.

For her part, Marceline never stopped encouraging Finn, panting and moaning all the while Finn was servicing her. Whenever he hit an especially sweet spot, he was rewarded with an extra scream or sudden jolt of her body. And Finn seemed perfectly pleased to be providing her with his service, never once relenting in his lovely assault. But despite his efforts and utter enthusiasm, Marceline realized that this simply would not provide her the stimulation she needed to reach her climax. She had been hoping to just let Finn work things out on his own but it seemed…

"AHHH!" Her thoughts her interrupted by an intense burst of pleasure.

Finn had been happily lavishing her when he noticed a small bump near the top of her opening. When he reached that spot, Marceline let out the loudest shriek she'd released so far.

"Finn…Keep… Doing tha…AHHH!" She didn't even have to finish her sentence.

Finn had already realized that the spot he'd just hit was even more sensitive than the rest of her. He didn't need her to tell him twice to focus his attention there. Encouraged to double his efforts, he began to swirl his tongue all around her small bud, alternating that between placing light kisses atop her.

Marceline looked like she was going crazy, thrashing about and crying out in pleasure. She began to softly mewl out Finn's name between rapturous shrieks. Hearing her acknowledge him, Finn started to get even more inspired. He wanted so desperately to bring her to the same peak that she herself had shown him, and suddenly got an idea on what he could do to get her there.

He removed his left arm from Marceline's leg so he could bring his hand close up by his face. Bringing his mouth away for just a second, he gently pressed the pad of his finger on the small button he'd been paying such rapt attention to. Marceline felt the sudden change, and was hopeful that Finn was about to follow through with what she'd had in mind. He began to softly rub his finger up and down the length of her slit. The pressure wasn't quite as intense as what Marceline had just grown accustomed to, but that was not truly the purpose of Finn's action. Once he felt the digit had been sufficiently lubricated, he brought it down to her base, and then slowly began to insert it as far as he could.

"Yessss, Finnnn…" She hissed out, signaling her approval of his action.

Pleased with himself, Finn retuned his attention to the small bud that seemed to act as a direct line to Marceline's nervous system. Pressing his tongue back against her, he began to slowly scrape along her inner walls with his finger. Marceline all but lit up, squirming perpetually beneath Finn. Her grip on his hair became almost painfully tight, but Finn gladly bore through it. She could feel how close she was, and felt herself losing control of her body. Her legs shot out, wrapping around Finn's head and pulling him as close to her as was physically possible. He was slightly caught off guard, but never ceased his actions, continuing to lick and rub against her most sensitive spots.

Finally, everything burst forth from Marceline at once. She let out an ear-piecing shriek. Almost fortunately for Finn, her legs squeezed tightly around his head, muffling her sounds and trapping him in place. He felt her lower body go stiff beneath him as her opening quivered ceaselessly around his tongue and finger. She tugged viciously at his hair, but he'd never do anything to dissuade her, despite his own discomfort.

After several seconds, her body went limp. The only sounds that filled the room were her ragged breaths. As her legs fell from his shoulders, Finn raised himself up on his hands to get a look at her. Her chest was heaving greatly, further embellishing her breasts, which seemed only seconds away from bursting out from behind the fabric of her dress that now seemed wholly insufficient for containing them.

Raising up higher, he got a good look at her face. She continued to breath harshly, but wore a bright smile that seemed far more sincere than all her others had been this night. Finn couldn't decide if it was actually her demeanor that'd changed or if it was just his perception of her growing more and more skewed. Either way made little difference to Finn now, and he quickly dismissed the though upon once more meeting her eyes. Half lidded red orbs seemed to almost glow at this point, and he could feel them boring into his head, displaying the intense gratitude she was feeling.

He couldn't stop himself from crawling back up her body. As soon as he had come close enough, Marceline's arms snatched him lighting fast, bringing his face down to her own so she could give him heated kiss. Finn relinquished himself to her control, happily obliging her and enjoying her demonic tongue as it ravished his own.

Marceline felt herself welling up with such love for Finn, she couldn't possibly articulate it in words. It was much easier, and much more fun to show him her feelings this way. He'd more than shown how devoted he'd become, an even now she felt certain he wouldn't ever regress from his current state, no matter what she did to him. But still, she needed one last display from him, one last piece of proof that he would always be hers.

Finn felt more than a modicum of pride for having provided Marceline with such intense feelings. He knew she'd established a permanent place in his mind, and he felt as though he was being rewarded for his good behavior as fuzzy and warm feelings began to course throughout his head. This was the reason he'd come back to her, that feeling that everything was right in his life that he could only receive from making her happy.

Eventually he began to note a shift in gravity. Opening his eyes, he found that Marceline had once again twisted them in space. Now she lay atop him on the bed, but she never once let their mouths unlock. Finally, she drew away from him, scraping her fangs lightly against his tongue as it vacated her mouth.

"You did good Finn." She said softly.

It was funny, she felt like she was extoling a pet for performing a trick, offering him the proverbial 'good boy.' But then, there really wasn't a more appropriate analogy. Finn had surrendered himself to her, establishing the notion that they were not on equal terms. He really was closer to a pet than a partner. But that was what she had truly desired all along, to take Finn for her own in a way that would ensure he'd never be able to leave her. And it wasn't like he was being hurt by this. Frankly, he was coming to terms with his fate much faster than she'd been anticipating. And the longer her stayed with her, the more content he'd become. She knew in her heart it was the right thing, for both of them. Her motives might have been largely selfish, but she knew in the end things would work out for the best for Finn as well. At least this way, she could personally assure that.

"But you're not quite done."

"Whatever you want." Finn spoke, a notable hint of excitement present behind his voice.

Marceline was ecstatic to hear him speak, hear how he was rapidly falling to his desire for her. Settling herself down on Finn, another sign of his clear cooperation became evident as it brushed across her thigh.

"You know what I want." Her voice had grown quite low.

Finn did indeed understand what she was asking of him. He felt like his mind was overloading, but unlike previous similar experiences, it was not a painful turmoil that was plaguing him. It simply felt like many things at once were jockeying for position at the forefront of his mind. Part of him just wanted to lay back and accept whatever pleasure Marceline would gift him, but a stronger part of his warped mind began to argue that that would be selfish. He was starting to believe more and more strongly that he was here for Marceline's sake, not his own. Whatever good befell him was just a side effect he wouldn't mind enjoying, but it was Marceline's happiness that truly mattered. So he came to a decision. _'I'll show her right now how much she means. I'll prove I won't just be a burden.' _

"As you wish." He spoke with an odd inflection that Marceline wasn't expecting.

Before she had a chance to even cast him a questioning glance, he had reached his hands up and under her arms, reaching around her back to grip at her shoulders. Forcefully, he brought her back down to him, initiating a kiss with her for the first time. Marceline was caught completely off guard, not expecting that Finn would dare to act so bold after everything she'd done to him. In mere moments, though, she'd simply melted into his embrace, feeling too good to argue against this breach of contract.

Just as she was settling down into a comfortable mental state, she felt Finn begin to lift abruptly beneath her. Her mouth otherwise occupied, a muffled cry of bewilderment was the only objection she could make as Finn threw himself completely forward bringing her back with him. All of the sudden, she was on the bottom with Finn forcefully pressing against her. She'd grown so accustomed to him acting so mindlessly obedient, she'd forgotten just how powerful he was, that he was in fact a hero. Or used to be, anyway.

Finn pulled away from Marceline, finding she appeared totally flushed. He chuckled inwardly, _'kinda nice to not be the embarrassed one for a change.' _Once Marceline had composed herself enough, she did her best to put a scowl on her face, but the effect was lessened with her face appearing so bright.

"Finn! How dare you…" She attempted to vocalize her anger, but was silenced by Finn once more sealing her lips with his own.

Pulling away rather quickly, Finn loomed over her and tried to make as sincere an apologetic a smile as he could manage.

"Sorry Marceline, but please…I, I just wanted to show you how I feel, how much you matter to me. So please…" With a hopeful smile and desperately pleading eyes, he gently took hold of her hands in his own.

"Let me prove it. Let me prove that I want… I need to be with you."

Despite all the cockiness he'd shown in his actions, now he looked to be all but begging for her understanding in his reasons. Marceline might've almost found the whole thing comical if not for the utter sincerity she could feel practically emanating from him. She could tell he really did mean what he said. Everything he did, everything he'd ever do from now on would be without concern for his own thought and being. Everything he'd ever do would be for her sake.

"Finn…" She said, forcing Finn's eyes wide in fear and anticipation.

"Just shut up and fuck me already."

Her blunt demeanor shocked Finn a bit, but he was far away from being dissuaded. A few seconds later, he'd brushed off the momentary hesitation and let out a small laugh. _'I'd better enjoy this now. I'm not sure if I'll ever get her to say that again.' _He looked back into her eyes, and could see them growing impatient, needy even.

Finn knew he could not put this off any longer, as much for his own sake as Marceline's. _'I just hope I don't screw this up.'_ Eager as he was, he didn't really have any true experience to work off of, only half-memories and several of Jake's ramblings whose credibility should've been immediately called into question.

But his performance anxiety immediately began to dissipate as soon as he felt Marceline shift beneath him, bringing herself closer to him. He felt her presence close in on him, sending a shiver up from his waist and throughout his torso. He was certain now, this wouldn't require any extensive knowledge or talent. Nothing but his basest senses were necessary for the act they were about to commit.

His body moved of its own will, trained much better than his mind had been. Closing the insignificant gap, he ground his length along the outer lining of Marceline's opening. Feeling Finn slide across her most sensitive region sent a flush of warmth coursing through Marceline, who groaned in equal parts joy and frustration. The anticipation was becoming too much for her to handle. He continued to make several sliding motions, back and forth atop her, issuing almost pained groans from both of them. Even though Finn was as growing as impatient as his partner, he was determined to draw things out for as long as possible, make the experience as blissful for them both as possible. It was the vampire who cracked first.

"Enough teasing Finn! Just do it already!" She demanded of him.

Finn had sunk so far into the pure physicality of the situation he couldn't even be sure if her words had really reached him or if his body had just driven forward by its own decision. Regardless, as soon as Marceline had cried out for him, Finn reared back until he stood poised just before her, and then plunged into her fully. He groaned through clenched teeth as the evil woman beneath him let out a cry of heavenly anguish.

They both lay motionless for several moments, shuddering quietly in uncontested happiness. But before too long, the sensations that each felt began to dull, drawing the desire of both to rekindle those feelings. Finn slowly began to pull himself back, scraping along Marceline's inner walls. Just before he'd left her completely, he stopped himself. He drove himself back into her, not quite as forcefully as his initial entry. This time, he wanted to drag things out, create as much friction as he could.

As Finn continued his movements became more measured as well as more confidant. Marceline began to gyrate her own hips, doing her best to try and match Finn's own motion. Eventually the two were moving in rapturous harmony. When one would speed up the other would quicken to match their pace, and when one would slow the other would restrain themselves to keep the frequency. Pleasant moans and quiet whimpers filled the room, serving to spur each participant to push their lover to new heights.

Finn's brain was in sweet chaos. Neurons fired off in rapid succession, stretching to the very peak of their limits as they worked strenuously to interpret the onset of feelings emanating from his body. All the while the veritable slurry of chemicals that had collected in his head continued to fry all rational thought and any sense of his past self. Above everything else was the deep psychological scar that Marceline had carved into his mind, ever driving him to do whatever he could to please her. And the higher he saw her climb into ecstasy, the greater reward his twisted mind provided.

Marceline's experience was no less intense, but not for the same reasons. Like Finn, it wasn't just the physicality of the moment that kept her mind edging closer and closer to nirvana, but the psychological implications behind the act. Everything she'd worked to achieve, put so much time, effort and hope into, was all coming to fruition right now, in this very moment. Finn, the man she'd desired so incessantly to possess, had fallen right into her clutches, exactly in the way she wished. She'd claimed him as more than a partner, he was her possession. She'd forced into his mind an unnegotiable, inarguable, uncontested obsession of her. She'd taken his mind and molded it like clay, and he'd seen fit to thank her and BEG for her to continue. Finn would never be the same person because of her, would never desire the company of another living soul. And that thought, that she had taken absolute control of his heart, mind and soul; that was her drug.

Lost in the act, the two continued to collide together in harmonious delight. Carnal desire drove their bodies in a mutual, nearly mindless rut that had steadily become more and more wild and frenzied. As their physical selves strived to sate themselves, each was lost in the hazy void of their respective minds, relishing in complacency, each having their own reason for feeling so self-gratuitous.

All at once, everything came to a blinding head. The vampire and the young man were drawn out of their inward bliss and brought back to the full reality in the wake of their mutually approaching climaxes. Finn's senses returned to him, and he gazed down to the gray woman who was panting and heaving beneath him. She opened her eyes, her brilliant red eyes that he found so beautiful, so inescapably captivating. Seeing her gaze back at him he could sense the desire, the obsession she felt for him that mirrored his own. That silent acknowledgement finally tipped the scale for Finn.

He let out an unrestrained cry as he felt his essence empty into Marceline. Feeling Finn release himself was the slight push that she needed to fall over her own precipice. She met his cry with one of her own. Her legs wrapped around his lower back to ensure they never separated while her hands went to his back. Her claws etched vicious markings into his back, tearing through fabric and flesh just as easily; just one more mark that denoted Finn as hers.

Neither spoke immediately, leaving their elevated breathing the only sound filling the room. Marceline was perfectly content to allow this silence to continue and bask in her lingering feelings. The peace that always followed was one of the most soothing times she could ever enjoy, relishing the feelings as her body cooled from its feverish high and the endorphins slowly left her mind in a pleasantly mild stupor.

Finn could've hardly made any attempt at action even if he'd wanted too. The overwhelming force that had gripped his mind in the midst of their passion had left it virtually fried. So mentally fatigued was he that he'd all but lost track of his own body. He could no more tell where any part of him was than he could tell where Mars was at that moment. The only thing he could register was the soft sounds still emanating from Marceline, and the faint sensation of the softness of her body against his own.

Both lay complacent together, Finn still atop Marceline, his head having fallen atop her pillowy chest. As his finer senses began to return to him, he became aware of Marceline ideally twirling her fingers though his golden hair, now somewhat matted with sweat. _'Man… she really… likes to… play … with my hair…' _The clearer his thoughts became, the better he found he was able to make senses of what he was feeling. And he realized that he felt happy; perfectly happy. He felt no regret for having left his life behind for Marceline. If this was how he would feel all the time, then he could be perfectly content knowing nothing but her kindness for the rest of his life; or far more likely, the rest of her life. He fully understood that nothing he felt was truly a product of his own will, but he didn't care. Marceline could keep him drugged or hypnotized or in chains as long as she cared to, and he wouldn't ever be happier in any other situation.

The rest of his life was clear to him, and regardless of the reason why, he couldn't be happier. Forcing as much weight as he could to his side, he just managed to roll off of Marceline, not wishing to discomfort her any further (even though that had never been the case). At his absence, Marceline rolled onto her own side so that she could meet back with his gaze. As their eyes met again in dichotomous union, Marceline graced Finn with her sinfully sweet grin. He returned with a truly gracious smile.

"So now you understand? You belong to me for the long haul." She spoke in tone that matched her smile.

Even though she needed no answer, Finn was still more than happy to oblige her, as he always would be.

"Perfect."


End file.
